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Japan confirms that F-35B jets will operate from Izumo-class helicopter destroyer
July News 2020 Navy Naval Maritime Defense Industry
20 July 2020
Japan published its 2020 Defense White Paper today and in the section on the F-35B, the government has confirmed that the stealth fighter will operate from the Izumo-class helicopter destroyer.
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Japan Begins Refitting Izumo Class Carriers to Deploy F-35B Stealth Fighters
July-1st-2020
Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force Izumo Class Carrier
Japan�s armed forces have begun refitting two Izumo Class carriers to deploy F-35B fifth generation fighter jets, in a controversial move which will provide the country with its first fixed wing carrier aviation since the Second World War. The Izumo Class ships displace 27,000 tons each, and while they were initially termed helicopter destroyers they were designed from the outset with the possibility of F-35B deployments in mind. The carriers are too light and their decks too small to accommodate conventional fixed wing aircraft, but the F-35B was designed specifically to deploy from light carriers for operations with the U.S. Marine Corps and is capable of deploying from the warships once minor modifications are completed. The F-35B is the most costly variant of the F-35 in production, and although it suffers from a shorter range and inferior manoeuvrability to the A and C variants it is prized for its ability to perform short takeoffs and vertical landings (STOVL).
With Izumo Class ships lacking either arresting gear, catapult launch systems or ski jumps, the F-35B will be restricted in the quantities of weapons and fuel it can carry and will not be able to perform conventional landings. The ability to forward deploy the stealth fighters, however, could provide a valuable means to contest disputed territories in the East China Sea - most notably the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. The fighter�s STOVL capabilities could also allow it to deploy from makeshift runways on the territory, which it was specifically designed to do. Pairing the Izumo with the F-35B could well be the first step towards a more ambitious Japanese carrier program, with future ship classes expected to be much heavier and to deploy larger and more capable warships which are not reliant on vertical landing capable fighters. These could potentially deploy both upcoming sixth generation Japanese jets and the fifth generation F-35C which was designed for the U.S. Navy's supercarriers. Japan�s investment in a carrier capability comes amid parallel investments being made by South Korea and China, the former which will also rely on the F-35B and the latter which is currently constructing supercarrierrs thought to displace around 85,000 tons which will be equipped with advanced electromagnetic catapult launch systems.(...EDITED)

Japan formally announces decision to buy F-35B stealth fighter jets from U.S.
Aug 17, 2019
The Defense Ministry has formally announced the selection of the U.S.-made F-35B cutting-edge stealth fighter jet as part of its plan to acquire short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft.
The ministry, which made the decision Friday,plans to renovate the Maritime Self-Defense Force�s Izumo-class helicopter carriers into de facto aircraft carriers to host the F-35Bs.
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South Korea Is Getting an Aircraft Carrier (Armed with F-35s?)
The South Korean joint chiefs of staff decided on July 12, 2019 to acquire an assault ship capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft, Defense News reported. The vessel presumably would embark vertical-landing F-35B stealth fighters.
by David Axe Follow @daxe on Twitter L
South Korea is getting an aircraft carrier. The vessel could help Seoul�s navy to compete with its main rivals, the Chinese and Japanese fleets.
The South Korean joint chiefs of staff decided on July 12, 2019 to acquire an assault ship capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft, Defense News reported. The vessel presumably would embark vertical-landing F-35B stealth fighters.
Seoul for years has mulled a purchase of F-35Bs to complement the country�s land-based F-35As.
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USMC might operate F-35B from Dokdo-class LPH

Lt. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, the commander of the U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, has hinted that his service might land the F-35B on board the Dokdo-class Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) amphibious assault ships operated by the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN).

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Japan�s new defense policy adds �effective aircraft carrier�

By SHINICHI FUJIWARA/ Staff Writer

December 18, 2018 at 15:50 JST
New defense guidelines calling for the enhancement of capabilities to deal with security risks at sea, online and in outer space have been approved by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The new National Defense Program Guidelines were approved Dec. 18 along with the Mid-Term Defense Program, laying out Japan's defense policy and weapons purchases over the next five years.

The program estimated weapons purchases over the next five years at a record 27.4 trillion yen ($242 billion).

The main focus of both documents was the inclusion of wording that would allow for the retrofitting of an Izumo-class destroyer to give it aircraft carrier capabilities.

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Japan to re-designate Izumo-class as multi-purpose operation destroyer
Japanese politicians have decided that the Izumo-class helicopter destroyer will be re-designated as multi-purpose operation destroyer.
Kaij? Jieitai ?????? / Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force? [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Lawmakers working on revising the National Defense Program Guidelines agreed to the new designation on Dec. 5. Before that, the names �defensive aircraft carrier� and �multi-purpose operation mother ship� were proposed and rejected.

Japanese Navy Could Acquire Aircraft Carriers
Tokyo considers embarking F-35s on 'helicopter destroyers'
WIB sea December 6, 2018 David Axe
The Japanese government announced on Nov. 27, 2018 that it plans to modify its two Izumo-class helicopter carriers to support F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters.
The announcement follows years of speculation that began even before Izumo commissioned into service in 2015.
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Japan�s Ships May Carry Fighter Jets, But Don�t Call Them Carriers

The ships would be called �multi-purpose operational mother ships.�
By Kyle Mizokami
May 29, 2018

The Japanese government is considering a bold plan: converting its largest ships to carry the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in order to shore up a key defense vulnerability. The country�s use of aircraft carriers during World War II, however, has made loathe to actually use the phrase �aircraft carrier,� instead preferring the term �multi-purpose operational mother ship�.

In the early years of World War II, Japan had the largest and most power aircraft carrier fleet in the world. An island nation bereft of natural resources, Japan needed to procure them abroad, making a powerful navy vitally important. Japan�s carrier force swept across the Pacific, bombing China, attacking Australia, and infamously the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

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Study concludes Izumo-class helicopter destroyers can support F-35B

A study commissioned by Japan�s Defense Ministry has found that the Izumo-class helicopter destroyers can support the Lockheed Martin F-35B.

The report, prepared by Japan Marine United Corp., was published on Apr. 27 with parts redacted. The study was done with the assumption that only American F-35Bs will be operating from the ships.

Asahi Shimbun: Japan design Izumo-class to operate STOVL fighters

Anonymous former Japan former Maritime Self-Defense Force officials told the Asahi Shimbun that the Izumo-class helicopter destroyers were design to operate short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) fighters from the beginning.

One person said during the design phase of the ship, consideration was given to have the F-35B operate from the Izumo someday.


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For a start, Japan wants JS Izumo to be able to refuel USMC F-35Bs

Yomiuri Shimbun says Japan is planning to refit the Izumo-class helicopter destroyers so that it can operate as a floating refueling carrier for American F-35Bs.

�If an [MSDF] aircraft carrier were capable of refueling the U.S. military�s F-35Bs, there definitely would be a demand from the U.S. military, making it a symbol of strengthening the [Japan-U.S.] alliance,� the article quoted a Japanese defense official as saying.

Paragraph 2 of Article 9 of Japan�s Constitution prevent Tokyo from having an aircraft carrier. Buying F-35Bs and deploying them on the Izumo-class could violate the Article.

Japan, South Korea may refit naval ships for F-35 fighters
By: Mike Yeo ? 7 hours ago

MELBOURNE, Australia � Amid growing tensions in the region, both Japan and South Korea are reportedly investigating options to operate the Lockheed-Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter on board their respective ships.

Quoting reports from unnamed military sources in their respective countries, Japan�s Kyodo news agency and South Korea�s Yonhap said that the short take-off vertical landing, or STOVL F-35B variant is being considered for operations from Japan�s Izumo-class DDH helicopter destroyer and South Korea�s Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship, turning them into combat-capable aircraft carriers.

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