Japan's Kaga frigate completes partial aircraft carrier conversion
2024-08-09
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Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 8th. Japan's large frigate "Kaga" recently completed the first phase of its aircraft carrier conversion. The Maritime Self-Defense Force showed the media its deck capable of taking off and landing fighter jets on the 8th.
The Japan Broadcasting Association reported on the 8th that the Japanese Ministry of Defense plans to carry out two large-scale modifications on the "Kaga" to enable it to take off and land F-35B stealth fighters, realizing its de facto "aircraft carrierization". The first phase of the modification was completed at the end of last month, and the heat-resistant coating of the deck was completed to enable it to withstand the high-temperature exhaust gas discharged by the fighter engines. The take-off and landing test of the F-35B fighter has also been launched. The second phase of the modification mainly involves changes to the internal divisions, which will be launched this year and is expected to be completed in two years.
This is a photo of the Izumo helicopter destroyer taken at the Yokosuka base of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on March 31, 2015. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu TianPhotos released by multiple Japanese media outlets showed that the deck of the Kaga has been changed from its original trapezoidal shape to a rectangular shape.
"The Kaga will play a very important role and will also take into account the role of the F-35B to increase flexibility," said Ichiro Kunibe, the captain of the Kaga.
The F-35 fighter jet is designed and manufactured by Lockheed Martin, an American arms manufacturer. It is equipped with advanced weapon systems and has stealth and supersonic cruise capabilities. Among them, the F-35B can achieve short-distance takeoff and vertical landing.
This is a photo of the Izumo helicopter destroyer taken at the Yokosuka base of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on March 31, 2015. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu TianJapan's pacifist constitution prohibits Japan from owning attack aircraft carriers. At the end of 2018, the Japanese government revised the defense outline and other documents and decided to convert the "Izumo" and "Kaga" frigates into "aircraft carriers". These two warships already meet the standards of modern light aircraft carriers in terms of tonnage, layout and function. Each ship is 248 meters long and 38 meters wide, with a standard displacement of nearly 20,000 tons. It has a full-length deck similar to that of an aircraft carrier and can carry helicopters. The Japanese Ministry of Defense previously argued that the two warships do not have the function of taking off and landing fighter jets and are not attack aircraft carriers. Regarding the "aircraft carrier" modification, the Ministry of Defense claimed that the ship would not always carry troops deployed with F-35B fighters, so it is still not an attack aircraft carrier.
It is worth noting that the "Izumo" was the name of an armored cruiser of the Japanese Navy. It performed missions in the Russo-Japanese War and the War of Aggression against China and was sunk by the US military in 1945. The "Kaga" was one of the main aircraft carriers of the Japanese Navy during World War II. It committed numerous crimes and was sunk by the US military in June 1942. (Wang Xinfang)
