"Japan’s Largest Warship Since World War II Takes To Sea" Topic

The development pair of ships have fomented regional controversy since the formal start of the program, in part because of their strong resemblance to aircraft carriers

"It is an aircraft carrier, and Japan just called it a helicopter destroyer to downplay its aggressive nature," Zhang Junshe with the People's Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute told China Daily last year.

To Japan's neighbors, even the name Izumo is a loaded word.

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The Queen Liz and Prince Chaz aircraft carriers are 65,000 tons. HMS Ocean is an assault helicopter carrier and weighs in at 21,500 tons. The US Wasp class assault helicopter carriers are 40,500 tons.

These Japanese helicopter carriers look reasonable in that context.

How much more do the Japanese have in ship yards being built?

A second helicopter carrier, a few destroyers and some subs iirc.

If they really want to they could put out some big ships fast. They have several shipyards capable of manufacturing super tanker sized hulls.

Funny the comments from the Chinese, especially since they plan on entire fleets of aircraft carriers.

Yeah, I don't think China has much room to comment on "aggressive nature".

The problem is that the Chinese still remember Nanking, and the Japanese aren't taught anything about it.

The Izumo was historically an armored cruiser. This version is actually larger than most of the carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor!

But without arresting gear, catapults and/or a ski jump, the Izumo is incapable of operating conventional fixed-wing aircraft. I can't find any information as to whether the Izumo's flight deck has been designed to handle the super-hot jet blast of either Ospreys or Harriers/F35Bs, but it would be foolish to have NOT designed that in to allow for Ospreys.

Hi all,

the article says (and I have read it in other sources including photos) that the JMSDF trialled Ospreys on the smaller but similar Hyuga class.

I bet that the Izumo class which is in fact a modified and enlarged Hyuga design could handle such aircraft as well.

Kind regards,
Benjamin

One can always retrofit ski lifts etc later.

In context of PLAN, even a couple of small carriers with 12-20 F-35Bs and supported by AEGIS destroyers and modern submarines is far more potent than anything the Chinese field or will field well into 2020s.

@MCV80: I agree, I can't imagine the JMSDF not having designed the flight deck to handle Ospreys. F35 has a LOT more oomph (both heat and velocity) to the jet blast, though.