Japan receives first F-35B fighters, restoring first carrier aviation since WW2

Japan has taken delivery of its first three F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, a milestone that restores carrier-capable fixed-wing aviation to the country for the first time since the end of World War II. 

The short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) jets arrived at Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture, where they will be operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) 8th Air Wing. The aircraft will eventually embark aboard the modified Izumo-class helicopter destroyers JS Izumo and JS Kaga, which are undergoing extensive refits to support F-35B operations. 

The arrival of Japan’s first F-35B Lightning II jets marks the country’s first carrier-capable fixed-wing aviation since World War II. Following its defeat in 1945, Japan only operated helicopters at sea and land-based fixed-wing aircraft for maritime patrol and transport, with no shipboard fighter capability.  

That situation changed in October 2021, when US Marine Corps F-35Bs conducted trials on the Izumo, the first fixed-wing operations from a Japanese vessel in more than seven decades. The newly delivered F-35Bs will eventually embark aboard the modified Izumo-class ships, restoring an indigenous, if limited, fixed-wing aviation capability to Japan’s maritime forces. 

Commissioned in 2015, the 27,000-ton Izumo was originally designed as a helicopter destroyer for anti-submarine warfare and humanitarian missions. At 248 meters in length, it is the largest surface combatant in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) since WWII.  

Officially classified to comply with Japan’s post-war constitution, its design nonetheless allowed for future adaptation. In 2018, Tokyo approved a multi-stage upgrade program to enable F-35B operations, which included reinforcing the flight deck, adding heat-resistant coating, and modifying the bow shape. The second ship in the class, JS Kaga, is undergoing similar modifications. 

Japan plans to acquire 42 F-35Bs as part of a broader order for 147 Lightning II fighters, which also includes the conventional take-off and landing F-35A variant already operated by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. The F-35Bs will extend Japan’s defensive and strike reach, and bolster air coverage for the country’s southwestern islands, which are regularly approached by Chinese air and naval assets. The post Japan receives first F-35B fighters, restoring first carrier aviation since WW2 appeared first on AeroTime.

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