Japan secretly designs Izumo destroyer to be able to deploy F-35B
This type of ship is secretly designed to be expandable and able to deploy short take-off and vertical landing aircraft such as the F-35B.
Japan's new Izumo-class helicopter destroyer was secretly designed to accommodate the operation of the fifth-generation stealth multirole aircraft, the F-35B, a retired member of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force told the Asahi Shimbun.
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| Japan's new Izumo-class destroyer was secretly designed to accommodate the operation of the fifth-generation stealth multirole aircraft, the F-35B. Photo: Sputnik |
According to sources, from the early stages of the Izumo project, this type of ship was secretly designed with enough flexible parts to be able to expand and deploy short take-off and vertical landing aircraft such as the F-35B. Currently, the two Izumo-class destroyers, JS Izumo and JS Kaga, are both capable of deploying the F-35B, although Japan has not yet purchased this type of aircraft.
A Japanese official recently confirmed that Tokyo will buy 25 F-35As, the conventional take-off and landing version, but has not yet decided on buying the vertical take-off and landing F-35B.
In December 2017, there were reports that Japan wanted to upgrade the Izumo aircraft carrier amid the Chinese Navy's growing influence at sea and the threat from North Korean missiles.
Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera then denied specific information about the Izumo-class warship being capable of deploying F-35B operations.
The Izumo-class destroyers are the largest naval vessels Japan has built since the end of World War II. One of the competitive advantages of the Izumo-class destroyers is their ability to carry Japan’s most advanced anti-ship warfare (ASW) helicopters. However, defense analysts say that the deployment of the F-35B aircraft on the Izumo may reduce its ASW capability./.