Recently, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force completed the first phase of the Izumo-class destroyer "Kaga" (DDH-184) to become an aircraft carrier, and the latest test ** was reported. The ship has completed the so-called "big facelift", equipped with a square flight deck similar to that of the American amphibious assault ship. According to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, by 2024, the Kaga will travel to the United States to qualify for the F-35B vertical take-off and landing fighter, which will also be its final challenge before officially transforming into a light aircraft carrier. Currently, Japan has become the second largest purchaser of the F-35 program, with a total of 147 F-35 fighters on order.
Of these, 42 F-35B fighters will be used for subsequent deployment on modified Izumo-class *** destroyers. And when designing the Izumo class, Japan had already considered the possibility of converting it into a light aircraft carrier, so this series of operations was not a temporary decision. The Izumo-class destroyers are the largest combat ships ever built by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, with two in total. The lead ship completed the defense budget allocation in 2010, so it is also known as 22DDH;The second ship completed the defense budget allocation in 2012, also known as 24DDH.
The first ship was launched on August 6, 2013, and was named "Izumo" in accordance with the ancient Japanese naming tradition. The destroyers of the Izumo class have a full load displacement of 26,000 tons, which is much larger than the previous Hyuga class. It not only has amphibious force transportation capabilities and maritime replenishment capabilities, but also has amphibious force ro-ro hatches on the side and longitudinal fuel replenishment facilities at the stern, which significantly improves the multi-mission capability. In fact, the Izumo class also has a strong aviation operation capability.
Although the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force claims that the "Izumo" class ships are mainly used to carry out aviation anti-submarine missions, in fact, this kind of aircraft, which is larger than the Italian "Cavour" aircraft carrier, is fully capable of carrying more offensive F-35B fighters. Since 2020, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has begun to convert the Izumo into an aircraft carrier. In 2021, the ship completed the first phase of the transformation, adding facilities such as a heat-resistant coated flight deck, F-35 take-off marking line, etc. In October last year, the F-35B conducted a carrier-based aircraft take-off and landing test on the "Izumo", which was the first time that a fixed-wing aircraft was taken off and landed on the Japanese since World War II.
After upgrading, the "Izumo" can now carry 12 F-35Bs to carry out air supremacy operations and long-range strike missions, and its combat effectiveness is only slightly weaker than the "lightning aircraft carrier" modified from the US amphibious assault ship that can carry 20 F-35Bs. At the same time, the "Kaga" has entered a more thorough stage of aircraft carrier transformation since 2022. The focus of the renovation was to convert the trapezoidal flight deck in the bow to a square-head deck similar to that of a U.S. amphibious assault ship, thereby extending the flight runway forward by tens of meters.
In addition, the Kaga was retrofitted with a new JPALS electro-optical landing and air traffic control system, and completed modifications to a heat-resistant coated flight deck, hangar, lift, aviation fuel, ** and spare parts storage facilities to meet the F-35B's support needs. At present, "Kaga" has completed the above modification work and entered the test stage. As a result of the more advanced modifications, the ship can now carry 16 F-35Bs. According to the future plans of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, with the first F-35B fighter they are about to introduce, they plan to make the Kaga capable of operating F-35B fighters.
At the same time, the second phase of the renovation of Kaga will be carried out, and the satellite communication equipment will be updated. The Izumo is scheduled to undergo the second stage of deep renovation in 2024, and the two ships are expected to be fully renovated in 2027 and have initial combat capability. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is actively promoting the process of transforming the Izumo-class destroyers into aircraft carriers to meet the needs of F-35B carrier-based aircraft. As the renovation work progresses, the two ships will have more powerful combat capabilities. This move not only shows Japan's positive attitude in enhancing its military strength, but also arouses the attention and concern of the international community about Japan's military development.