The only helicopter carrier in the world capable of accommodating the F-35B
The first time fixed-wing aircraft have flown from a Japanese battleship since World War II occurred on October 3 when two Marine Corps F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters took off and landed aboard Japan’s biggest cruiser, JS Izumo (DDH-183). Since November 2018, the Japanese government has also announced a plan to upgrade two Izumo-class helicopter destroyers to turn them into mini-carriers carrying more than 12 F-35 stealth fighters. “Ever since we got these ships ( Izumo-class multipurpose destroyer, built in 2015), we’ve wanted to use them for many purposes,” Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters. Although, the Izumo-class warships are considered to be quite small for fixed-wing aircraft to operate. It is worrisome that Japan has not operated a fixed-wing aircraft on board ships since World War II and needs to train pilots, deck crews, and maintenance crews to handle the unique challenges of operating an aircraft carrier . A Marine F-35B Li...
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