JMSDF Izumo class multi-purpose destroyer

[Ayoshi]

From: military-today.com

The Izumo class is a new type of helicopter carriers of the Japan's Marine Self-Defense Forces. Two ships of the class are planned. The new ships will replace ageing Shirane class ASW destroyers. The lead ship Izumo was launched in 2013. It was commisioned in 2015. It is the biggest Japanese warship since the World War II. It is even larger than the previous Hyuga class helicopter carriers.

   The Izumo class helicopter carriers are multi-role ships. These can conduct amphibious operations, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. This class provides the Maritime Self-Defense Force with greater force projection capability.

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The flight deck has 5 helicopter landing spots for simultaneous take-offs and landings. The Izumo class ships can carry 14, or possibly even 30 helicopters. However it is claimed that typical air wing during peace time will be 7 ASW and 2 SAR helicopters. Apart from helicopters these ships can also accommodate F-35B STOVL multi-role fighters and V-22 Osprey tiltrotor transport. However Japanese officials do not mention this capability.

   For amphibious operations it can carry troops and vehicles inside the ship. Typically 400 marines and 50 3.5 t trucks (or equivalent equipment) can be carried. However Izumo class carriers lack a well deck that dedicated amphibious assault ships have. Troops can be landed on the beaches mainly via helicopters.

   For self-defense the ships will be equipped with two 20-mm Phalanx CIWS and two SeaRAM missile launchers.

[Ayoshi]

National Interest

The Izumo will be supplemented by the JS Kaga (DDH-184),launched in late-August 2015 and expected to be commissioned sometime in 2017. Named after the Japanese province, the second ship of the Izumo class has the dubious honor of sharing the same designation as the infamous IJN Kaga- an aircraft carrier that took part in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and served with the Imperial Japanese Navy until scuttled at the Battle of Midway in 1942. Unsurprisingly, the choice in name has raised eyebrows given the current Kaga’s aircraft carrier-like appearance.

Photo: wikimedia.org

[sirius]

JS Kaga was commissioned today

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/japanese-navy-boosts-overseas-force-projection-capability-with-s/3615622.html

JS Izumo was also in the news recently

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/13/17/duterte-says-he-might-visit-japanese-warship-in-disputed-sea

[adroth]

Japanese navy commissions second Izumo-class helicopter carrier
Andrew Tate, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
23 March 2017

http://www.janes.com/article/68963/japanese-navy-commissions-second-izumo-class-helicopter-carrier
   
The JMSDF commissioned its second Izumo-class helicopter carrier, JS Kaga, on 22 March in Yokohama. Source: JMU
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned its second Izumo-class helicopter carrier, JS Kaga (DDH 184), on 22 March in a ceremony held at the Japan Marine United (JMU) shipyard in Yokohama, near Tokyo. The first of class, JS Izumo (DDH 183), was berthed adjacent to Kaga during the event.

Built by JMU and launched in August 2015, Kaga is 248 m long, has a beam of 38 m, and will displace 24,000 tonnes at full load. Powered by four GE LM2500 gas turbines in a COGAG arrangement, it is estimated to have a top speed of 30 kt, according to Jane's Fighting Ships . It will have a complement of 520 officers and enlisted men.

The two Izumo-class vessels are the largest warships to enter Japanese service since the Second World War.

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[adroth]

From: By Kaijō Jieitai （海上自衛隊 / Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force） - http://www.mod.go.jp/msdf/formal/jmp/201612.html, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55763099

[40niner]

JS Izumo (DDH-183) at RSN Changi Naval Base in Singapore during the International Maritime & Defense Expo-2017 (IMDEX-2017 May 16-18, 2017)

[Ayoshi]

China urges Japan to ‘act cautiously’ on considerations to refit Izumo class for F-35Bs | Janes - 27 December 2017

Amid reports that the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) is considering to refit its fleet of Izumo-class helicopter carriers to carry F-35B fighter aircraft, Beijing has called on Tokyo to ‘act cautiously’ with regards to military matters.

Japan&#8217;s first Izumo-class helicopter carrier, JS Izumo (DDH-183) (JMSDF)

[Ayoshi]

The Izumo-class's VSTOL Conversions and Japanese Navy Power | The Diplomat - November 30, 2018

Japan appears to be prepared to take the next step to convert its Izumo-class helicopter destroyers into VSTOL (vertical and/or short take-off and landing) aircraft carriers. According to several sources, the Japanese government has effectively decided to upgrade JS Izumo and JS Kaga to operate the F-35B Lighting II VSTOL stealth fighter. Studies conducted earlier this year concluded that such modification would be feasible, if deemed strategically necessary.

At the same time, Japan has decided to substantially increase its stake in the F-35. Reports now indicate that Japan will acquire another 100 F-35s, in addition to the 42 F-35As still on offer. At this point, it is not clear what the mix of F-35As and F-35Bs in this order would look like. It’s fair to say, however, that 100 F-35Bs would be substantially in excess of what the Izumos would need. It would be a strain for the Izumos to carry more than about a dozen F-35Bs each. For comparison, the United Kingdom expects to acquire 138 F-35Bs, divided between the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. The much larger Queen Elizabeth-class carriers are expected to operate two dozen F-35Bs, although they can surge much higher.

Thus, the decision to upgrade the Izumos necessarily suggests a follow-up question: Would Japan give serious thought to the construction of large fleet carriers after it has rebuilt its naval aviation experience with the Izumos? Since 2009, Japan has commissioned four large, flat-decked aircraft carrying vessels, beginning with the two 19,000 ton Hyugas and continuing with the two 27,000 ton Izumos. If, as it appears, Japan has determined that it is legally capable of operating fixed wing aircraft carriers, and that such carriers are operationally necessary, then it’s hardly a stretch to imagine that the next generation of Japanese aircraft carrier might approach something akin to a true fleet carrier, along the lines of the US America class or the British Queen Elizabeths. Such a vessel could carry F-35Bs or, with appropriate construction, either F-35Cs or some variant of Japan’s developing fifth generation fighter.

https://thediplomat.com/2018/11/the-izumo-classs-vstol-conversions-and-japanese-navy-power/

[Ayoshi]

Japanese Navy Could Acquire Aircraft Carriers | War Is Boring - December 6, 2018

Transforming the two helicopter carriers into aircraft carriers won’t be easy. The Izumo-class vessels are small for aviation ships. More worrying, Japan hasn’t operated fixed-wing aircraft from ships since World War II, and will need to train pilots, staff and maintainers for the unique challenges of carrier operations.

But other countries have succeeded in operating fixed-wing planes from small aviation ships. Most notably, Italy. Australians are debating whether to modify their own small aviation vessels to carry F-35s.

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The Izumo class stretched the credibility of the “helicopter destroyer” moniker. The type lacks major weaponry. Its flight deck extends from stem to stern. It’s a carrier in everything but name. In practice, Izumo and sister ship Kaga, which commissioned in 2017, only have embarked helicopters.

Each 814 feet long and displacing 27,000 tons of water while fully loaded, Izumo and Kaga are small for carriers. The U.S. Navy’s supercarriers each are a thousand feet long and displace more than 100,000 tons. The Americans’ amphibious assault ships — which support helicopters, AV-8B Harrier jump jets and F-35s — are around 850 feet long and displace 41,000 tons.

But the Japanese ships aren’t the smallest aviation ships. The dubious honor belongs to Thailand’s Chakri Naruebet, which is just 600 feet long and displaces 11,500 tons but still managed to operate a handful of first-generation Harriers until the aging planes finally went into storage in 2006.

In size and function, the Izumos most likely will match Italy’s flagship Cavour, an 800-feet-long amphibious assault ship that displaces 30,000 tons while fully loaded. Cavour typically embarks five Harriers alongside helicopters. Italy is buying new F-35Bs to replace its 16 Harriers.

Lockheed Martin designed the F-35B to match the deck “footprint” of the Harrier. While an F-35 occupies the amount of deck space that a Harrier does, the stealth fighter requires more intensive maintenance — and its engine exhaust is much hotter than the Harrier’s is, requiring the launching ship to have a special, heat-resistant deck coating.

Recoating the Izumos’ decks is a straightforward procedure. Potentially more difficult is reorganizing the ships’ internal spaces to accommodate the crew, parts, fuel and weapons an F-35 detachment requires.

https://warisboring.com/japanese-navy-could-acquire-aircraft-carriers/

[Ayoshi]

Japan’s ruling coalition approves modification of Izumo-class helicopter carriers for F-35B ops | Janes - 13 December 2018

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito approved on 11 December the draft outline for the new National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) and the associated Mid-Term Defense Plan (MTDP).

The NDPG draft, which was presented by the government to the ruling coalition, said that "by establishing our [new] fighter jet system, including [STOVL] aircraft, we will strengthen [our] aerial defence capabilities" in areas such as the Pacific side of the Japanese archipelago.

[Ayoshi]

Japan to launch first aircraft carriers since WW2 | Navy Recognition - 18 December 2018 14:12


Izumo helicopter carrier (Picture source: JMSDF)

[adroth]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/12531/indian-navy-mig-29ks-make-low-approaches-to-uss-nimitz-during-malabar-drills

The "Malabar 2017" international naval exercise off of India concludes today, and this year's iteration was like no other in the quarter century history of the multinational drills. At the center of the large force training event were no less than three aircraft carriers from three navies—USS Nimitz from the US, INS Vikramaditya from India, and the JS Izumo from Japan.

In total, 17 ships from the three countries took part in the exercise, which began ten days ago and runs through today. The Bay of Bengal is where most the activity took place.

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Photo c/o USN