The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH-183) sails during a ship maneuvering exercise in Malabar in 2017. U.S. Navy photos
This article has been updated to say that the US Marine Corps F-35 on JS Izumo should appear before November.
US Marine Corps Commander General David Berger said on Wednesday that the US Marine Corps F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter will operate on Japanese warships later this year.
By November, the Marine Corps F-35B will carry one of two 24,000-ton Izumo-class helicopter destroyers for exchange, which may lead to a similar plan in which the US Marine Corps JSF Squadron will board the Royal Navy aircraft carrier Elizabeth Queen (R08) This year, he said.
"We will not continue to deploy, but we are actually going to let the U.S. Marine Corps F-35 take off from Japanese ships," Berger said during the U.S. Naval Institute-CSIS Maritime Security Dialogue on Wednesday.
In 2019, the Japanese government approached the Marine Corps and considered exchanging aircraft while refitting. This will enable the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces Izumo (DDH-183) and Kaga (DDH-184) to carry F-35B, USNI The news reported at that time.
The warship may be JS Izumo (DDH-183). According to Naval News, Izumo completed the first phase of modification in July to accommodate the F-35. Modifications include adding lines and heat-resistant coatings to the deck.
"In this second modification, the shape of the bow of the Izumo will be changed from the current trapezoid to a rectangle to facilitate the operation of the F-35B, and other changes to the ship's internal compartments are also planned," the Navy report said. information.
The modification of the Izumo and Kaga will be used in conjunction with 42 F-35Bs planned to be purchased by the Japanese Self-Defense Force to operate from two ships. The Japanese Self-Defense Force's first F-35B will arrive in fiscal year 2023.
While Japan expanded the F-35 capabilities, China also expanded its naval capabilities to improve the PLA Navy’s amphibious combat capabilities.
Some believe that the deployment of F-35s in Izumo and Kaga can be seen as a defensive measure.
On August 25, 2021, the F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) prepares to take off from the cockpit of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS US (LHA-6). U.S. Navy photos
"The challenge of the defense [JMSDF] fleet against aircraft equipped with cruise missiles (or hypersonic gliding weapons) highlights the need to upgrade the Izumo-class to operate F-35B STOVL aircraft, because the average range of anti-personnel missiles is the U.S. Pacific Command Admiral Dennis Blair and retired Captain Christopher Rodman wrote in the 2019 meeting minutes, “Within hundreds of miles, the average range of defensive shipborne air defense and anti-missile missiles is only about 100 miles. "Long-range anti-ship missiles, F-35B will be very effective against the "group tactics" of patrol boats or maritime militia ships. In the case of'island grabbing', F-35B is required to establish a new Japanese amphibious army to regain remote islands. The local air control will be invaluable."
Although the boarding of the Marine Corps is limited to testing, the F-35B operating capabilities shared by the US allies allow for closer ties with bilateral partners in the region. Berger used Marine Corps fighter jets on Japanese warships as an example to illustrate how the United States can improve relations with regional allies.
Unlike the multinational NATO construction in the Atlantic, the United States has one-to-one cooperation with its allies in the region. Berger said that an ongoing problem is sharing information with allies, and ad hoc alliances such as the so-called "four-nation alliance" between the United States, Japan, India, and Australia are opening up new avenues for U.S. cooperation in the region.
"I think it's a great thing to watch the Quad slowly, quietly, and off the ground," Berger said. "There are existing frameworks for how we share information with Australia, Japan, South Korea, South Korea, the Republic of Korea, and the Philippines, but they are one-to-one arrangements. On the bright side, I will carefully observe, for example, Elizabeth The Queen’s current deployment."
Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. Since 2009, he has been responsible for the legislation, procurement, and operations of maritime services, and has worked in the US Navy, US Marine Corps, and Canadian Navy.