Vice Adm. John Wade, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, and Vice Adm. Yoshihiro Goka, commander of Japan’s Escort Fleet, speak to reporters aboard the JS Kaga off Southern California, Nov. 6, 2024. (Darin Russell/U.S. Navy)
A Japanese warship recently concluded F-35B Lightning II trials off Southern California, part of Japan’s pursuit of fifth-generation fighter capabilities at sea.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on Tuesday released video footage of an F-35B landing aboard the JS Kaga, an 814-foot-long flattop vessel designed for helicopters and recently modified to accommodate the advanced stealth fighters.
The ability to deploy F-35Bs at sea will strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and “contribute to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” the Maritime Self-Defense Force said in the video’s caption posted to social platform X.
The Kaga on Nov. 6 successfully completed trials that included more than 100 short takeoffs and vertical landings, a Maritime Self-Defense Force spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday.
The Kaga trials were scheduled from Oct. 5 to Nov. 18, which included travel time to and from California, he added.
“By conducting take-offs and landings by F-35Bs, we were able to gather fundamental data,” the spokesman said.
A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II lands aboard the JS Kaga, a Japanese helicopter carrier, off Southern California, Oct. 20, 2024. (Darin Russell/U.S. Navy)
Some Japanese government spokespeople may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
Testing was led by the U.S. Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23, Naval Air System Command’s largest flight-test squadron, a Maritime Self-Defense Force spokesman told Stars and Stripes by phone Oct. 22.
Vice Adm. John Wade, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, and Vice Adm. Yoshihiro Goka, commander of Japan’s Escort Fleet, held a press conference when the trials ended and voiced their commitment to deepening ties and working together, according to the X post.
Japan completed a variety of upgrades to the Kaga on March 29 to accommodate F-35Bs, a variant of the Lightning II capable of short takeoffs and vertical landings.
The flight deck was strengthened to withstand the fighter engine’s heat during operations, lights were installed for nighttime operations and the bow was modified to reduce turbulence and extend the flight deck.
The modified vessel started for California in October to begin the trials, which included sorties and tests to see if the ship has adequate maintenance space or whether jets could be secured and maneuvered through the Kaga’s hangar bay.
Kaga’s sister ship, the JS Izumo, underwent similar retrofits in 2021, but both ships still require another round of modifications.
The final phase of modifications for the Izumo began Nov. 1; the Kaga’s will begin after the Izumo is complete, according to the Maritime Self-Defense Force spokesman.
Japan views the ability to use the jets at sea as “necessary in order to be fully prepared to protect Japan’s seas and skies, including the vast Pacific Ocean, while ensuring safety of the self-defense forces personnel,” according to a 2022 white paper.
