US Navy helps Japan fly F-35 from destroyer-turned-carrier

The development tests, which will take place between October 5 and November 18, were announced by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on Tuesday. The main objective is “to collect the data necessary for the shipboard operation of the F-35B on IZUMO-class ships”, especially the short takeoff and vertical landing of the F-35B aircraft.

The JMSDF said the testing will take place on JS Kaga, Japan’s new light aircraft carrier, with support from US forces off the coast of San Diego.

Kaga recently completed its conversion from a helicopter carrier to a flatbed ship capable of launching and recovering F-35s, with Japan confirming the completion of the upgrades in April.

Another heliport, the class-leading Izumo, is also being modified to carry F-35s. The ship previously hosted two US Marine Corps F-35Bs in October 2021 for flight operations. Once both ships are fully aircraft certified, Japan will have a naval capability not seen since World War II.

The Kaga looks similar to the US Navy’s large-deck amphibious assault ships, which the US has previously explored using as so-called “lightning carriers”, smaller, lighter warships with flight decks that are designed for the F-35B.

One of the most recent examples of this concept is the USS Bataan, an assault ship that recently entered maintenance to undergo modifications to carry F-35s after leaving the fight against the Houthis in the Red Sea.

For Japan, the ability to carry its own F-35Bs – or the US’s – on its decks could come in handy amid tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly from an increasingly aggressive China.

The US and Japan are increasingly engaging in close military cooperation directly related to deterring China’s hostile actions in the East and South China Seas.

There have been conversations about Japan’s potential involvement in the trilateral Australia, UK and US partnership known as AUKUS. The US also regularly conducts joint exercises with Japanese forces and has worked with Japan on defense technology such as missile defense interceptors.