Some shots of 845NAS Disembarking in the Channel to return to RNAS Culdrose for some well Earned Christmas Leave after Westlant 18:
Aircraft Carriers III
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Jura The idiot
General
What is abundantly clear is the Japanese Government have decided quite some time ago to acquire aircraft carriers to counter the perceived growing threat from the PLAN's also growing Carrier Force; they have two carriers (Izumo and Kaga) in service already capable (with a few modifications already accounted for in the design) of operating F-35Bs as and when the Japanese introduce them into service. Whether or not they will do it is realistically beyond debate now, the decision has been made. They are just arguing over the semantics of the situation.
Sailors return home from the sea just in time for Christmas. I can hear the chatter at the Christmas dinner tables as young sailors tell tales of their adventures in the US and aboard the R08!
@Obi Wan Russell
They have to do those semantics because of the Japanese Constitution. Japan is only allowed to have a Self Defense Force to defend itself against foreign aggression. It is not supposed to have power projection capabilities. Even if there have been moves to relax those rules in the Japanese Constitution a lot of people are quite devoted to protecting their non-interventionist bent. Ever since they lost WWII. So yes, it's an aircraft carrying destroyer (not even cruiser). Just like the Russians have to call their carriers an aircraft carrying cruiser so it can pass the Dardanelles.
They have to do those semantics because of the Japanese Constitution. Japan is only allowed to have a Self Defense Force to defend itself against foreign aggression. It is not supposed to have power projection capabilities. Even if there have been moves to relax those rules in the Japanese Constitution a lot of people are quite devoted to protecting their non-interventionist bent. Ever since they lost WWII. So yes, it's an aircraft carrying destroyer (not even cruiser). Just like the Russians have to call their carriers an aircraft carrying cruiser so it can pass the Dardanelles.
Yes indeed. The Japanese Constitution precludes them from possessing 'Offensive' weapons, but contrary to popular belief never once mentions Aircraft Carriers by name. Every weapon system in the Japanese Self Defence Forces Arsenals could be described as either Defensive or Offensive depending on it's use in combat, so it's all about the context of it's intended use. Small Carriers operating with just 12 F-35Bs each plus a complement of helos for ASW and possibly AEW can and will be easily justified as 'Defensive' if they are only equipped with anti air and anti ship weapons, protecting the outer edge of Japanese territory. The ships are built, the aircraft are on order. It's all a done deal literally bar the (political) 'shouting'.
Jura The idiot
General
their mission is ASW plus humanitarian
Japan hasn't ordered F-35Bs
you made up "a done deal" here
Jura The idiot
General
It is for now. Carriers are inherently flexible in their tasking and depending on what aircraft are deployed aboard. If the intention had been to continue to limit them to those roles then why build the Izumos, 27.000 tonne carriers on a par with the old Hermes in displacement and the America class in deck space instead of repeat Hyugas?
They have 42 'A's on order and a stated intention to order 100 more, against an existing requirement for just 100 'A's to replace an equal number of older F-15s which cannot be upgraded, and an admission that some of the new batch will be 'B's. Simple maths gives a likely number of 42 'B's to equip the Izumos. The course the Government has set is clear, it's not difficult to see what happens next.
Nope. Just have my eyes open and I hear what they say clearly.