Recently, the UK Royal Navy F-35B fighters with short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities landed for the first time in history on the Japanese helicopter carrier JS Kaga. They were joined there by F-35Bs from the United States.
For the American F-35Bs, however, this was nothing new — they have been using the JS Kaga for some time already for testing purposes. The U.S. Marine Corps first deployed aircraft there back in the fall of 2021.
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Watching a British F-35B land on the Japanese helicopter carrier near Japan might prompt the question: how did they get there? The answer lies with the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is currently deployed in that region.
It's also worth recalling that not long ago, one of the F-35Bs from the HMS Prince of Wales air wing had to make an emergency landing in Japan. It appears that along the way, the British carrier continues to lose members of its already incomplete F-35B air group.
As for the JS Kaga, it has already undergone modifications that allow it to operate F-35B fighters. In addition to JS Kaga, the JS Izumo is also scheduled for a similar refit — it received partial upgrades in 2021 and will undergo full modifications this year. Thanks to these ships, Japan will, for the first time since 1945, possess aircraft carriers.
Back in 2020, Japan placed a record-breaking order for F-35s — specifically, 105 land-based F-35As and 42 carrier-capable F-35Bs.
Out of the 105 F-35As ordered, 40 have already been delivered and are in service. As for the F-35Bs, the first aircraft have only just recently arrived in Japan, meaning the country now has carrier-based jets for the first time since 1945. However, Japanese pilots still need to complete the necessary training courses to operate them.
As a result, Japan is not yet able to test its own carrier-based aircraft from the helicopter carrier modernized for them. This is why, for now, the JS Kaga is being used by Americans and Brits for testing and regional training. At the same time, the JS Kagas crew is gaining valuable experience in handling this type of aircraft.
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