A US F-35B stealth fighter taxis on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Kaga on Nov. 6, 2024. (©Sankei by Kotaro Hikono)
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Japan’s navy conducted a public test of a US F-35B stealth fighter onboard the destroyer JS Kaga earlier this month, the first time such an operation was opened to the media.
The destroyer, originally built by Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force to carry helicopters, was modified to operate the fighters. The F-35B is a variant of the new generation of US-built stealth fighters that have “short take-off/vertical landing,” or STOVL ability. This allows the jets to operate off of ships that lack the size and facilities of full-fledged aircraft carriers, like the Kaga.
Video of the F-35B in action during the test shows it lift up out of the bowels of the destroyer on an elevator and roar off of the short flight deck. The fighter jet also demonstrated a vertical landing onto the ship.
The test was part of exercises conducted off the coast of San Diego, California with the support of the US military. The Japanese government plans to purchase 42 F-35B aircraft from the United States, which are capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings, with the intention of eventually operating the Kaga as a de facto aircraft carrier.
In March, the Maritime Self-Defense Force announced it had completed the first set of modifications to the Kaga to accommodate the fighter jets. These included altering its bow shape from a trapezoid to a square shape and reinforcing its deck with heat-resistant materials to handle high-temperature exhaust.
Test Flights from the 'Kaga'
Japan has since conducted private tests of the F35-B on the ship. The country is also carrying out similar modifications to the JS Izumo. Both ships are Izumo-class destroyers.
The Kaga departed its home port at the Maritime Force's Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture in September and conducted operational tests together with US Navy F-35Bs in the region from Oct. 5 through Nov. 6.
Vice Admiral John Wade, Commander of the US Navy Third Fleet, attended a press conference alongside Vice Admiral Yoshihiro Goka, Commander of the JMSDF Fleet Escort Force. Goka expressed satisfaction with the successful tests, emphasizing, "The acquisition of the F-35B's operational capabilities will enhance the deterrence of the Japan-US alliance and contribute to the peace and stability of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region."
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Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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