Japan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

It's not a technology issue it's a political issue.
The JSDF agency and the Japanese parliament have to decide not only is it justifyable but nessisary for there investment.

Jura said:

I'm going to watch this because I "committed" Feb 27, 2018

LOL!

the CG you posted appears to be fan art by

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

There is NO DOUBT that the F-35B could be flown off of the Izumo class...or the Hyuga class for that matter but in smaller numbers.

The Japanese have to decide whether it warrants it...and if China continues building Aircraft carriers...which we know they will...they are going to be very tempted to do so with the Izumos.

If they do, they will either do the refurb to the Izumo class and make them capable of carrying 12+ F-35Bs, or they will build a couple of carriers similar in nature with a jump ramp that could house 20 F-35Bs.

...they may do both.

They are highly capable of doing this...and I know for a fact that it has been talked about.

But time will tell. @TerraN_EmpirE

TerraN_EmpirE said:

It's not a technology issue it's a political issue.
The JSDF agency and the Japanese parliament have to decide not only is it justifyable but nessisary for there investment.

Click to expand...

Amen...see my post above.

Jura said:

I'm going to watch this because I "committed" Feb 27, 2018


the CG you posted appears to be fan art by

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Yes...that CG is.

But there have been official studies taken up by the Japanese military that are not fan art.

Believe me when I tell you they are seriously considering it.

Now...whether politicaally they can make it happen will depend on several things.

1) How threatened they feel by the continued proliferation of Chinese carriers.

2) How strongly they feel a need to respond to it with something to compliment US carriers (which are the only other carrier option avaialable).

The Japanese are capable of it. Technologically they already have two carriers that could field an effective and capable force of F-35Bs. But they may wnt ones that can do more and this they have studied, with a potential of building 2-4 of them.

The first thing we will know of it if they actually decide to do so will be a budgetary requuest in the Japanese Military Medium Term Defense Program to look at buying F-35Bs. if that happens...then they are on the verge of doing it.

Time will tell.

From Feb 2018

Japan could buy as many as 40 F-35Bs


From March 2018:

Japanese could buy F-35Bs



From May 2018

Japnese ships may carry fighter jets


Study Commissioned by Jaanese Defense shows Izumos can operate F-35Bs



As I said, keep an eye on the Japanese Military Medium Term Defense Program coming out nar the end of the year.

Despite "Official denials, in Feb 2018, Maritime Self Defense Force sources stating the following:

“It is only reasonable to design (the Izumo) with the prospect of possible changes of the circumstances in the decades ahead... We viewed that whether the Izumo should be actually refitted could be decided by the government.”

Here are both Izumos together:



If they became serious, they could build 2-4 even more suitable vessels with those ski jumps and more hanger space and two deck edge elevators.

Like this:


I want one! @TerraN_EmpirE @Obi Wan Russell @bd popeye

TerraN_EmpirE said:

It's not a technology issue it's a political issue.
The JSDF agency and the Japanese parliament have to decide not only is it justifyable but nessisary for there investment.

Click to expand...

oh first of all the US would have to decide if selling two or three squadrons more of F-35Bs were worth it, or if it'd be safer to keep the Japanese militarism on a leash!
heck there's a CVGB station permanently there etc. etc.

saying this also because yesterday I was thinking about the night battle off Savo Island which had taken place exactly three quarters of a century ago

for those who wouldn't know what it was I now googled First Battle of Savo Island: The U.S. Navy’s Worst Defeat

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Now your starting to sound like a some of our more agitateable members.

The US seems more than happy to equip the Japanese forces. The working relationship between the two nations is one of fhe closest in the Asian region. And being blunt the US DOD and JSDF are joined at the hip. And a handful sea control ships is not a likely match CV group.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Now your starting to sound like ...

Click to expand...

if you were referring to me, you should've said my name or quoted my post

my whole point has been the Japanese military should be kept in its current self-defense role (plus of course supporting the USN if needed; you may want to check what I posted Yesterday at 7:06 AM)

as far as I noticed, the Japanese had preempted Port Arthur and Pearl Harbor;
I'm not going to respond to any comments

The only thing I can say is to study modern history more thoroughly and read more books on how wars happen and not take some decades old propaganda at face value.

Japan will arm herself again if the world demands it in which it certainly seems to be heading that way.

Jeff Head said:

Despite "Official denials, in Feb 2018, Maritime Self Defense Force sources stating the following:

“It is only reasonable to design (the Izumo) with the prospect of possible changes of the circumstances in the decades ahead... We viewed that whether the Izumo should be actually refitted could be decided by the government.”

Here are both Izumos together:

View attachment 48308

If they became serious, they could build 2-4 even more suitable vessels with those ski jumps and more hanger space and two deck edge elevators.

Like this:

View attachment 48309
I want one! @TerraN_EmpirE @Obi Wan Russell @bd popeye

Click to expand...

Jeff to be honest I don't think JMSDF will settle for a half a$$ light carrier when Japan has the capability to construct a full fledged carrier today if she wanted one.
EMALs are not that difficult to develop for Japan since we invested a lot in Maglev technology. They just need to tweak the frequency inverter to handle higher frequency to accommodate faster acceleration.
Like I have posted in the past I do not think a light carrier will not be carrying any manned aircraft but will deploy and collecting drones from their pads. Once deployed they will coordinate with a flighter squadron that had launched from the nearest air base. The drones can be piloted from the carrier or from any other remote location via satellite.
The drones can act as decoy while the manned aircraft attack from the other side, defend flank side and/or coordinate a time delayed attack with the manned fighters.
You'll have a wider range of attack plans this way with more drones in the sky carried by the light carriers then just a handful of manned jets that can only take off with minimum ordinance.