1. Izumo-class aircraft carrier
1. First ship Izumo (hull number 183)
The Izumo frigate is the seventh helicopter frigate of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the first ship of its Izumo-class helicopter destroyer, and is part of the 1st Escort Group of the 1st Escort Group.
On August 31, 2009, Japan's Ministry of Defense completed the development of the Defense Budget for Heisei 22 (2010), which includes the construction of a 22DDH large helicopter destroyer (19,500-ton frigate) with a standard displacement of 19,500 tons, with a budget size of 113.9 billion yen (about $1.04 billion), and around 2012, it is scheduled to enter service in Heisei 26 (2014) to succeed the aging Shirone (DDH-143) helicopter destroyer.
The 22DDH aircraft carrier is 248 meters long, 38 meters wide, has a draft of 7 meters, and has a standard displacement of 19,500 tons, with a full load displacement of 27,000 tons. The main engine is four gas turbines, with twin shafts, shaft power of 112,000 horsepower, and a maximum speed of 30 knots. Regardless of its exterior design or the design of its weapons and equipment, it is infinitely close to the aircraft carrier.
The Izumo class follows the layout of all-access flight decks, starboard islands and other types of aircraft carriers, with the total length of the ship increasing to 248 meters, the flight deck width of 38 meters, the standard displacement of 19,500 tons, and the capacity of 14 helicopters, while taking off and landing five helicopters.
In response to the increase in hull size, the ship's four LM-2500 gas turbines can reach 33,600 horsepower each, maintaining the maximum speed at 30 knots. Power on the Izumo-class ships is provided by LM-500 gas turbine generators, each with about 6,000 horsepower; the LM-2500 gas turbine engine and LM-500 gas turbine generator are both produced by Japan's Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) authorized by General Electric of the United States.
The 22DDH's flight deck and hangar layout is clearly not satisfied with carrying helicopters, it can also carry fixed-wing fighters, rotary-wing aircraft and even drones. In contrast to hyuga, one of the 22DDH's lifts moved from the flight deck centerline to the edge of the deck, the deck width increased significantly, and the number of lifts that supplied ammunition to the fleet on the flight deck increased from two to four.
The flight deck of the 22DDH is rumored to have been made of special materials, and its strength and ability to withstand tail flame burning will move closer to the F-35B's take-off and landing requirements. In addition, the design of the 22DDH ship also includes the consideration of running drones.
According to the Japanese Ministry of Defense, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force plans to conduct F-35B take-off and landing tests aboard the quasi-aircraft carrier Izumo from October 3 to October 7, 2021. Izumo's carrying of the F-35B battleship means that the original helicopter destroyer has been officially upgraded from a quasi-aircraft carrier to a light aircraft carrier, and has the ability to strike externally.
Japan had previously deployed several F-35A squadrons. In 2002, Japan signed another $23 billion deal with the United States to purchase 105 F-25s, including 42 F-35Bs. Japan has long begun to build up its forces for future aircraft carrier operations.
The F-35B's take-off and landing tests aboard the Izumo indicate that Japan already has a real aircraft carrier. Japan's military expansion to this day should arouse the vigilance of East Asian countries, especially China. The United States armed the Japanese aircraft carrier with the F-35B, and its purpose was to make Japan its own anti-China vanguard. Once the Izumo is equipped with the F-35B, it will have a long-range strike capability, and the threat to the Taiwan Strait is self-evident.
2. Second Kaga (hull number 184)
On the afternoon of August 27, 2015, Japan's second Izumo-class helicopter carrier was launched at the Yokohama Isoko plant and named DDH-184 Kaga. This is the second Izumo-class helicopter carrier launched in Japan after the Izumo.
The Kaga Izumo-class helicopter carrier is 248 meters long, the flight deck is 38 meters wide, the standard displacement is 19,500 tons, the full load is 26,000 tons, and the speed is 30 knots. The Izumo-class helicopter carrier is equipped with OQQ-22 bow sonar for detecting submarines, and is also equipped with two Raytheon RIM-116 Hiram short-range air defense missile systems and two "dense array" close-range defense weapon systems for the ship's self-defense. The Izumo class can accommodate 14 helicopters and operate five helicopters at the same time, carrying SH-60K anti-submarine helicopters and MCH-101 transport helicopters. Japan has ordered 42 F-35B VTOL fighters from the United States, which will be used as carrier-based aircraft of the Kaga.
"Izumo" and "Kaga" will be organized into the 1st and 2nd escort groups respectively, Japan's aircraft carrier formation can refer to the future "Nineteen Fleet", the aircraft carrier is centered, the "Kongo" "Aegis" guided missile destroyer is in front, the 6 "Murayu" and "Akizuki" destroyers are in a fan-shaped configuration of 3 for 1 group, the "Flag Wind" class and the "Tai Dao Feng" destroyer hall, when performing anti-submarine missions, each destroyer is equipped with 0QQ-22/23 bow main/passive sonar system for detecting submarines. Anti-submarine helicopters in 3 groups of inverted triangle formation in the formation of 3 to 10 nautical miles for anti-submarine search, 1 helicopter can search for 5 nautical miles wide, leave 2 hours of time, search the sea area of 2000 square kilometers, usually each search point hovers for 2-3 minutes for sonar hoisting operations, 4, 5 times can measure the target location.
A convoy carries a total of 80 "Aslok" anti-submarine missiles and 60 MK46 Mod5 torpedoes, carrier-based helicopters can also MK46 torpedoes and depth charges, any submarine entering the 200 nautical mile range will be detected and attacked, the 20 nautical miles around the "Izumo" is an "absolute death zone", and the "Eighty-Eight Fleet" has repeatedly "sunk" the US nuclear submarines that attempt to approach in joint military exercises with the United States. The air defense operation is led by the "King Kong" class guided missile destroyer, the air defense information network has AN/SPY-1D radar, FCS-3A phased array radar system, the detection range is 400 kilometers, can attack 12 targets at the same time, other destroyers' air-to-air search radar is supplemented, the warning time is at least 10 minutes, and the "early warning helicopter and F-35B fighter jets form a 200-nautical-mile air defense detection area."
"Kongo" class guided-missile destroyers are equipped with 90-unit vertical launch systems, usually with 10 "Aslok" anti-submarine missiles and 80 "Standard" -2MR air defense missiles, "Kongo" class modified "Atago" class destroyers have a 96-unit vertical launch system, "Tai Dao Wind" class air defense destroyers use MK13Mod1/4 single-arm rotary launchers, equipped with "Standard" -1MR air defense missiles 40 pieces, can attack 2 targets at the same time, "Village Rain" and "Autumn Moon" The destroyers are equipped with nearly 150 "Sea Sparrow" short-range anti-aircraft missiles, which form a point defense circle together with the 127 mm naval guns and "dense array" close defense guns equipped by each ship.
Although the anti-ship combat capability of the "Eighty-Eight Fleet" has no advantage, it is not bad; each destroyer is equipped with a total of 80 US-made "harpoon" ship-to-ship missiles; in wartime, the frigate fleet will also receive the strong support of the Type 88 SSM-1 shore-to-ship missile, submarines, early warning aircraft, P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft, and F-2 fighters; the Type 88 SSM-1 shore-to-ship missile can control the sea area within 100 kilometers of the shore; the submarine-equipped "underwater harpoon" anti-ship missile has a range of 130 kilometers, and the P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The ASM-2 aircraft missile range carried by the F-2 fighter is 150 kilometers, and the anti-ship combat is still very excellent, but the anti-ship combat ability of the F-35B fighter is not ideal, and the bomb compartment of the F-35B fighter can only carry a guided bomb with a range of more than ten kilometers, which cannot be stealthily at such a close distance, and the external "Harpoon" aircraft missile has lost its stealth capability.
A few days ago, the No. 2 Kaga (hull number DDH-184), a Japanese Izumo-class helicopter destroyer, was towed by a tugboat and entered the No. 4 maintenance dock of the UchiHa Division of the United Marine Corporation (JMU) (the former site of the pre-war Kure Naval Plant) in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, for a new round of maintenance repairs and upgrades. According to reports, the Kaga's "maintenance and repair" this time is fake, the technical upgrade is true, and the upgrade project is to completely modify the ship and upgrade it to a light aircraft carrier that can carry F-35B vertical/stub-landing fighters. When the Kaga is completed, Japan will have a second light aircraft carrier.