Japan is showing off the first modifications to one of its helicopter carrier destroyers to turn it into a light aircraft carrier capable of operating F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters.
The successful modification of the JS Kaga will pave the way for the conversion of another of its helicopter carriers, the JS Izumo, into an aircraft carrier.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force announced the completion of the first special modification work on the Kaga earlier this month. In an article on X, he introduced the aircraft carrier, which now has a flight deck designed to operate and launch F-35 aircraft.
The JMSDF said in its message that it is still upgrading another ship, the class-leading helicopter carrier Izumo, to be able to launch and recover F-35s. Once both ships are capable of operating jets, Japan will have a capability it has not seen since World War II.
And he will need it too. As of October 2023, Japan still planned to acquire more than 147 F-35s – 105 F-35As and 42 F-35Bs.
Japan began radically overhauling its Self-Defense Forces in October 2021, creating its first amphibious military unit since World War II and launching a new class of modern frigates. He also announced the conversion of the two Izumo-class helicopter carriers into light aircraft carriers.
The upgraded Japanese warship resembles a US Navy large-deck amphibious assault ship, which the Sea Service and Marines have already explored using so-called “lightning carriers” as lightweights in reference to the F-35.
Although Japan has a long history with flattops and its navy was one of the first to use aircraft carriers effectively, the ongoing improvements mark an important step for it in the modern maritime era.
The project is also an opportunity in U.S.-Japan relations amid concerns about China’s aggression, as Japan builds aircraft carriers that could eventually accommodate U.S. aircraft as well as its own, as it demonstrated this in October 2021 when two US Marine Corps F-35Bs landed. and took off from the Izumo Bridge.
In 2018, Japan said China was engaging in “unilateral and coercive attempts to change the status quo based on its own assertions inconsistent with the existing international order.” Since then, other complaints have been filed.
The aircraft, designated AX-6, is the second F-35A assembled at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ F-35 Final Assembly and Inspection Facility (FACO) in Nagoya, Japan, and is the first to be assigned at the 3rd Air Wing of the JASDF. , 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan. Courtesy of the F-35 Joint Program Office
China’s growing military power has raised concerns among U.S. military leaders and lawmakers, while the continued buildup of its navy, the world’s largest, has raised alarms over faltering U.S. shipbuilding and about what is needed for the future.
Earlier this month, China expressed concerns about Japan’s growing partnerships and capabilities, particularly the possibility of working with Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States on propulsion submarines. nuclear power within the framework of the AUKUS security agreement.
“Given Japan’s not-so-distant history of militaristic aggression, Japan’s military and security actions are closely monitored by its Asian neighbors and the international community,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning.
“Japan must seriously reflect on its history of aggression, end its involvement in small military and security groups and truly embark on the path of peaceful development,” she said.
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