Izumo class
Japan's two "helicopter destroyers", rebuilt to operate F-35B stealth fighters.
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ROLE
Light carriers keeping F-35B fighters flying when land bases are under attack.
STRENGTHS
- Short take-off F-35B operations
- Gives Japan sea-based air power over the Pacific, where it has few airfields
- Converted from existing hulls, not new builds
WEAKNESSES
- Small air wing compared with a supercarrier
- No catapults: limited airborne early warning
- Political limits on how Japan can use carriers
Izumo and Kaga were commissioned as helicopter destroyers. Both have been fitted with heat-resistant decks and a reshaped bow so they can launch and recover the F-35B short take-off fighter, with Izumo's conversion due to finish by March 2028.
For Japan, two small carriers are less about projecting power far from home and more about giving fighters more places to fly from when runways are few or under attack.
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