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JS Kaga

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For other ships with the same name, see Japanese ship Kaga.
JS Kaga (DDH-184)
History
Japan
Name
  • Kaga
  • (加賀)
NamesakeKaga Province
Ordered2010
CostUS$1.05 billion
Laid down7 October 2013
Launched27 August 2015
Commissioned22 March 2017
Identification
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeIzumo-class aircraft carrier
Displacement
  • 19,500 long tons (19,800 t) empty;
  • 27,000 long tons (27,000 t) full load
Length248 m (814 ft)
Beam38 m (125 ft)
Draft7.5 m (25 ft)
Propulsion
Speedmore than 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • OYQ-12 combat direction system
  • FCS-3 fire control system
  • OPS-50 AESA radar
  • OPS-28 surface-search radar
  • OQQ-23 bow sonar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • NOLQ-3D-1 EW suite
  • Mark 36 SRBOC
  • Anti-torpedo mobile decoy (MOD)
  • Floating acoustic jammer (FAJ)
Armament
Aircraft carried
  • 7 ASW helicopters and 2 SAR helicopters
  • 28 aircraft maximum

JS Kaga (DDH-184) is a helicopter carrier of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).[1] She is currently undergoing conversion into a light aircraft carrier, which is scheduled to be complete around fiscal year 2027.[2] Officially classified as a multi-purpose operation destroyer, she is the second ship in the Izumo class, the other being JS Izumo.[3][4][5] Her namesake arises from Kaga Province (加賀国, Kaga no kuni) in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture.

The ship bears the same name as the World War II-era Kaga, the Tosa-class battleship turned aircraft carrier that was produced in 1928 and participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor. She is also slightly longer than her World War II predecessor. Kaga and Izumo are the first aircraft carriers built by Japan since the end of World War II. Kaga was built as part of a wider Japanese military buildup, triggered by heightened Sino-Japanese tensions regarding the contested ownership of the Senkaku Islands.

As of 2024, the Kaga is being upgraded into a fixed-wing carrier, capable of operating VTOL aircraft such as the F-35B.

Construction

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Kaga was intended to replace the aging Shirane-class destroyer Kurama, based on the schedule outlined within the 23 Mid-term Defence Capability Maintenance Plan to construct a 19,500-ton helicopter destroyer. Construction began at the Yokohama plant of Japan Marine United on 7 October 2013, and the ship was launched on 27 August 2015, with the commissioning on 22 March 2017.[6] Construction of the ship cost ¥115 billion (US$1.05 billion).[7][8]

Characteristics

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The ship can host up to 28 aircraft,[citation needed] or 14 helicopters.[9] Japanese nomenclature called Kaga a "multi-purpose operation destroyer" and its main purpose in the past was destroying enemy submarines.[10] Despite this, only 7 anti-submarine warfare helicopters and 2 search and rescue helicopters were planned for the initial aircraft complement. 400 troops and 50 3.5-ton trucks (or equivalent equipment) can also be carried.

Kaga's flight deck has five helicopter landing spots that allow for simultaneous landings or take-offs. Like the Izumo, Kaga features no ski-jump ramp for aircraft takeoff, instead using a long flat flight deck, in a similar manner to the US Wasp-class and America-class amphibious assault ships.[11]

Modifications

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In 2010, Forecast International reported that it looked like some original design features were intended to support fixed-wing aircraft such as the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II;[12] as of 2019 both Kaga and Izumo are scheduled to be refit to accommodate the F-35B STOVL variant during their sequential overhauls which will take five-years starting in 2022.[13] Kaga's reconstruction was speculated to begin as early as 2021.[14]

Kaga began her initial modifications in March 2022 at the Japan Marine United (JMU) shipyard in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. The proposed modification of Kaga will be more extensive than for her sister ship (and significantly more expensive) and includes changes to the shape of the bow. The initial modification of Kaga was completed in early 2024 and is to be followed by a second modification to the ship's interior, which is expected to begin in late 2026 and be completed by the end of Fiscal Year 2027.[15] [16]

Aircraft carried

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In 2019, it was reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a ¥26.2 trillion (US$238.72 billion) five-year defense budget, which included the upgrade of Izumo and Kaga and the purchase of a combined 147 F-35A and F-35B stealth fighters.[17]

According to the newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is planning to acquire a total of 42 F-35B variants: introducing 18 by FY2023, six in FY2024 and two in FY2025. This first batch are to be formed into a single squadron consisting of about 20 aircraft. Japan's Defense Minister, Nobuo Kishi, announced that Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu will host the F-35Bs. The base is located near the Southwest Islands, including Okinawa, and JMSDF's Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture, which is Kaga's home port.[18]

Size

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Kaga is 814 feet (248 m) long and displaces 27,000 tons, making her the largest ship in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. She is in the category of light carriers, such as Italy's Cavour, and sized similar to many nations' dedicated amphibious ships. She is considerably smaller than 'super' aircraft carriers – the USS George H.W. Bush, for instance, is 1,092 feet (333 m) long and over 100,000 tons.[10]

Air defense

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The ship is equipped with two Phalanx CIWS (close-in weapon systems) and two SeaRAM CIWS for her defense.[19]

History

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A USMC F-35B lands aboard Kaga during training exercises in 2024

Kaga toured the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean during the Indo Southeast Asia Deployment (ISEAD) exercise in 2018 to bolster Japan's presence in geostrategic waters, eventually sailing to the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka.[20][21]

During a state visit to Japan in May 2019, Donald Trump visited Kaga in Yokosuka. During his visit, Trump made a speech in which he claimed that many of the United States's allies were taking advantage of its high defense budget by not spending enough on their militaries. Trump congratulated Japan for "...being a good ally and buying American...", and wished them success in the coming Reiwa Era.[10]

Between October to November 2024, Kaga conducted F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter developmental tests off the coast of California in preparation for the arrival of Japan's own F-35Bs.[22] The F-35Bs were from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 of the US Navy and the pilots were from the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF). On 7 November 2024, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force announced that the trials had been completed already.[23]

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Kaga's mascot is the personification of her World War II-era predecessor in Kantai Collection, where she is one of the most popular characters of the franchise. It began when Kadokawa Games shared official art on Twitter, depicting 1928 Kaga's Kantai Collection counterpart holding a scale model of the new Kaga the day after she was launched.[24] It then continued when Kaga participated in the Indo Southeast Asia Deployment (ISEAD) exercise in 2018. Upon her return to Kure, Kantai Collection provided new art of their personification of Kaga wearing the new ship's insignia, with her rigging updated to match that of the new ship and featuring helicopters instead of World War II aircraft.[25]

[edit]
  • JS Kaga
  • JS Kaga right front view at Port of Kanazawa (15 July 2017)
    JS Kaga right front view at Port of Kanazawa (15 July 2017)
  • Kaga stern view, July 2017
    Kaga stern view, July 2017
  • JS Kaga with INS Chennai during JIMEX 2020 exercise.
    JS Kaga with INS Chennai during JIMEX 2020 exercise.
  • Kaga viewed from above after being modified to operate fixed wing aircraft
    Kaga viewed from above after being modified to operate fixed wing aircraft

References

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  1. ^ "Another Japanese warship is on its way to carrying F-35B stealth fighters". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  2. ^ Takahashi, Kosuke (2024-04-08). "Japan completes first stage of JS Kaga modification to operate F-35B". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  3. ^ "海自のヘリコプター搭載護衛艦、「かが」と命名". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "新護衛艦「かが」：旧日本海軍の空母「加賀」 その違いは". Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  5. ^ Sam LaGrone (August 27, 2015). "Japan Launches Latest Helicopter Carrier". United States Naval Institute.
  6. ^ "海自最大の護衛艦「かが」進水 ヘリ９機を同時運用". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). August 27, 2015.
  7. ^ Gady, Franz-Stefan. "Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Commissions Second Helicopter Carrier". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  8. ^ 平成24年度予算の概要 Archived 2012-11-13 at the Wayback Machine 防衛省、2頁
  9. ^ Hardy, James (25 March 2015). "Japan commissions helicopter carrier Izumo". janes.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Zennie, Michael. "President Trump Visited Japan's Biggest Warship Since World World II. Here's What to Know About the JS Kaga". Time.
  11. ^ Takahashi, Kosuke. "Japan's converted Izumo-class carriers will not feature a 'ski-jump' ramp for F-35B operations". Janes. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27.
  12. ^ Forecast International (21 June 2010). "Details of New Japanese 'Helicopter Destroyer'". Defensetalk.
  13. ^ "USMC to Fly First F-35B from Japan's Izumo-class Aircraft Carriers". navalnews.com. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Japan, US get major military exercise going amid growing Chinese activity". Free Malaysia Today. 26 October 2020.
  15. ^ Takahashi, Kosuke (8 April 2024). "Japan Completes First Stage Of JS Kaga Modification To Operate F-35B". Naval News. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Japan Starts Conversion Work on Second Izumo-class DDH". 18 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Japan orders more F-35s for its upgraded carriers". World Aviation & Defence News.
  18. ^ Inaba, Yoshihiro (2021-07-20). "Japan's Izumo Helicopter Destroyer Modified To Operate F-35B Fighters". Naval News. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  19. ^ "ＩＨＩＭＵ、防衛省から平成２２年度計画ヘリコプター搭載護衛艦を受注". Nikkei Shimbun. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  20. ^ "Indo Southeast Asia Deployment 2018 (ISEAD18)". Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  21. ^ Kubo, Nobuhiro; Kelly, Tim (July 4, 2018). Birsel, Robert (ed.). "Exclusive: Japanese helicopter carrier to tour South China Sea, Indian Ocean for two months". Reuters. Japan will send a large helicopter carrier to the South China Sea and Indian Ocean for a second straight year as it looks to bolster its presence in the strategic maritime region with annual tours, two Japanese officials said.
  22. ^ Mahadzir, Dzirhan (10 September 2024). "Japan's Largest Warship Headed to California for F-35B Testing". USNI News. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  23. ^ Mahadzir, Dzirhan (8 November 2024). "Japanese Big Deck JS Kaga Wraps California F-35B Trials". USNI News. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  24. ^ Kantai Collection [@KanColle_STAFF] (August 27, 2015). "「加賀」さんのデザインを担当したしばふさんより、昨日進水した護衛艦「かが」、進水記念緊急描きおろしが到着しました！..." [Shibafu-san, who was in charge of the design of Kaga, has arrived with an emergency drawing commemorating the launch of the destroyer Kaga that was launched yesterday!...] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Kantai Collection [@KanColle_STAFF] (November 18, 2018). "海上自衛隊 護衛艦「かが」のご依頼により、「加賀」さん【かが】modeをお贈りしました..." [At the request of the Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Kaga, we have sent Kaga mode...] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 14, 2023 – via Twitter.
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