Latest news with #JSKaga
The Diplomat
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Diplomat
UK Aircraft Carrier HMS Prince of Wales to Make First Port Call in Japan
The HMS Prince of Wales may conduct 'cross-deck drills' with JS Kaga using aircraft carrier-based F-35Bs. If realized, it would send a strong message to China F-35 test pilot Marine Maj. Paul Gucwa from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), flies an F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft to the U.K. HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier in the Western Atlantic Oct. 11, 2023. The Japanese Ministry of Defense has announced that the United Kingdom's carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, will make its first port call in Japan from August to September this year. The deployment of a British aircraft carrier strike group to Japan will be the second time following the port call by HMS Queen Elizabeth and the escort vessels in September 2021, according to the ministry. Tokyo welcomes the port call as a demonstration of the U.K.'s commitment to regional peace and stability amid an increasingly severe and uncertain security environment surrounding Japan, the Japanese defense ministry said in a press release on June 25. The port call 'will also contribute to further strengthening Japan's security and Japan-U.K. security and defense cooperation,' it added. One area of interest during the upcoming port call is whether F-35B stealth fighter jets carried by the Prince of Wales will conduct 'cross-deck drills' in which they land and take off from the deck of JS Kaga (DDH 184), the second Izumo-class helicopter carrier (locally classified as 'helicopter destroyer') of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). So far, no British F-35B has ever landed or taken off from JS Izumo or JS Kaga before. If a British F-35B were to do so from the deck of the JS Kaga, it would send a strong message to the world, especially an assertive China, that Japan's relationship with the U.K., which is widely regarded as a 'quasi-ally,' is truly being strengthened. The Diplomat asked Admiral Saito Akira, chief of staff of the JMSDF, about this point at his regular press conference on July 8. Japan's top naval officer responded: 'We are currently considering the details of what kind of joint training we should conduct with the Royal Navy. As Takahashi-san said, if the F-35B is able to cross-deck drills with the Kaga, it will be an extremely powerful message, and I think it will be an opportunity for us to absorb know-how, including the operation of the F-35, from the Royal Navy, which has been operating aircraft carriers for many years. We are currently making adjustments, including this menu, but have not yet reached a final decision.' Saito did not deny the possibility of 'cross-deck drills.' Meanwhile, Commodore James Blackmore, commander of United Kingdom carrier strike group, expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with the JSDF, saying that they will have personnel from the JMSDF and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force board the aircraft carrier and train together, according to an article published by the Yomiuri Shimbun on April 23. Blackmore spoke on April 16, before the HMS Prince of Wales departed Portsmouth in the south of England, the Japanese newspaper said. The U.K. commander also expressed his hope for the realization of joint training with the JS Kaga, which is being upgraded as a light aircraft carrier in preparation for the deployment of the F-35B, the newspaper also said. When the HMS Queen Elizabeth was dispatched to Japan in September 2021, no joint training of this nature was conducted. The JS Izumo conducted takeoff and landing tests of the U.S. military's F-35B in October 2021. Following that, the JS Kaga also conducted takeoff and landing tests of the U.S. military's F-35B in October 2024. Steady steps are being taken toward converting the two Izumo-class destroyers into light aircraft carriers. Notably, the U.S. F-35B landed aboard JS Kaga for the first time on October 20, 2024, off the southern coast of California and was piloted by Royal Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nick Baker, a test pilot with the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF) in the U.S. state of Maryland. The Japanese Ministry of Defense will begin deploying its own F-35Bs to the Nyutabaru Air Base of the JASDF in Miyazaki Prefecture in fiscal year 2025. The plan is to deploy a total of 42 aircraft in the future. Following the JS Kaga, the JS Izumo is currently undergoing major modifications to turn it into a light aircraft carrier at Japan Marine United's (JMU) Isogo Works, a shipyard in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. China is rapidly expanding its maritime presence using aircraft carriers. China's two operational aircraft carriers, Liaonging and Shandong, conducted a total of about 1,120 takeoffs and landings of fighter jets during most recent sailings that have seen the Chinese Navy expand increasingly farther into the Pacific Ocean, a spokesperson at the Joint Staff Office of the Japanese Defense Ministry told The Diplomat on June 24. Specifically, the spokesperson said those Chinese aircraft carriers had conducted the flight operations in the Pacific Ocean near Japan through June 22 after being tracked by the JMSDF from late May.
Newsweek
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Allies Plan To Flex Aircraft Carrier Muscles Near China
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United Kingdom and Japan—both major allies of the United States—are reportedly set to conduct joint naval operations with aircraft carriers in a show of force to China. The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and its strike group are scheduled to visit Japan from August to September, Tokyo's defense ministry confirmed to Newsweek, adding that both sides are currently coordinating joint training exercises. Newsweek has reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment via email. An F-35B fighter jet executes a vertical landing on Japan's JS Kaga in the eastern Pacific Ocean on November 2, 2024. An F-35B fighter jet executes a vertical landing on Japan's JS Kaga in the eastern Pacific Ocean on November 2, 2024. U.S. Department of Defense Why It Matters The Prince of Wales began an eight-month mission, Operation Highmast, in April, leading a fleet of warships and carrying up to two dozen F-35B stealth fighter jets for exercises and operations across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia. In response to China's growing naval threat, Japan is converting two Izumo-class helicopter carriers—JS Izumo and JS Kaga—into aircraft carriers. It has also ordered up to 42 F-35B jets—capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings—to operate from the two warships. The reported joint aircraft carrier operations between the U.K. and Japan follow China's unprecedented dual aircraft carrier deployment in the broader western Pacific in June. What To Know Newspaper The Japan Times reported on Wednesday that British F-35B jets deployed aboard the Prince of Wales could conduct flight operations from the Kaga as part of joint operations between the Royal Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. If confirmed, this would mark the second time the Kaga has conducted flight operations with F-35B jets since last November, when it carried out flight tests off the coast of California. According to the report, the British aircraft carrier is expected to dock at Yokosuka naval base and in Tokyo during its time in Japan. Yokosuka is also home to the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington, which is currently operating in the South China Sea. Following its visit to Singapore in late June, the Prince of Wales was underway in the Java Sea the Royal Navy disclosed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. The aircraft carrier is en route to northern Australia for Exercise Talisman Sabre. The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is seen docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore on June 24, 2025. The British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is seen docked at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore on June 24, 2025. ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images It remains unclear whether the Prince of Wales will conduct any flight operations with the U.S. amphibious assault ship USS America, which is also capable of operating F-35B jets. As of Friday, the America was underway in the Coral Sea, off Australia's northeast coast. What People Are Saying The Royal Navy said in a press release on June 23: "In each port, the ships [of the U.K. Carrier Strike Group] will promote the Strike Groups overarching mission—demonstrating the U.K.'s commitment to the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region alongside allies and partners, including celebrating 60 years of Anglo-Singaporean relations, making us secure at home and strong abroad." Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Admiral Yoshihiro Goka, commander of the Fleet Escort Force, said in a press release in November 2024: "We believe that the acquisition of F-35B operational capability for the JS Izumo class destroyers will [enhance] Japanese defense capability and interoperability between Japan and the U.S. and will strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the countries as well as ultimately contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region." What Happens Next The deployment of the Prince of Wales to the western Pacific comes as the U.S. has only one aircraft carrier stationed in the region amid efforts to counter China's military presence.
Japan Times
18-02-2025
- General
- Japan Times
French carrier group chief draws lessons from first Pacific deployment in 60 years
France's first deployment of a carrier strike group (CSG) to the Indo-Pacific in 60 years has allowed its navy to not only deepen its operational understanding of the complex region but also to learn from and boost interoperability with partner nations, the commander of the Charles De Gaulle CSG told The Japan Times. 'You have to deploy to understand an area,' Rear Adm. Jacques Mallard said in an interview when asked about the lessons learned from the service's ongoing Clemenceau 25 mission. The CSG on Tuesday concluded the French Navy's first-ever joint carrier maneuvers with the United States and Japan in the Philippine Sea. Those maneuvers, which also involved the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and the JS Kaga helicopter carrier, were part of the Pacific Steller drills.
