US Navy Conducts Historic F-35B Landing on Japanese Destroyer JS Kaga
In a significant demonstration of military collaboration, the US Navy has successfully landed an F-35B fighter jet on the Japanese destroyer JS Kaga for the first time, marking a new chapter in defense interoperability between the United States and Japan. The F-35B, which took off from Maryland, conducted its landing on the Kaga after the vessel departed Japan and arrived off the southern coast of California in early September.
The successful landing is part of ongoing efforts to enhance military cooperation, with additional tests scheduled to continue over the next three weeks. "We are proud to be part of this joint effort to test the compatibility of the F-35B aboard JS Kaga," said Seth Dion, Team Lead of the F-35 Pax River Integrated Test Force. "We are committed to working closely with our allies to achieve our shared goals and strengthen our partnership," he added.
The JS Kaga, along with its counterpart JS Izumo, is undergoing modifications by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) to be transformed into light aircraft carriers. Notable upgrades to the Kaga included enhancements to enable F-35B jets to take off from short runways and land vertically. These modifications involved the addition of heat-resistant materials to the flight deck, new nighttime landing lights, and a redesign of the flight deck’s bow from a trapezoidal shape to a rectangular one.
This development follows the US approval in 2020 for the sale of 105 F-35 stealth aircraft to Japan for approximately $23.11 billion, underscoring the strengthening of strategic ties between the two allies.
Captain Shusaku Takeuchi of the JMSDF emphasized the importance of the recent test, stating that it is “strengthening the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-US alliance,” and contributes to “peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”
As regional tensions rise and potential threats from China persist, the United States and Japan have ramped up defense collaboration, explicitly identifying China as a hypothetical adversary during their joint military exercises, such as the Keen Edge drill held in February.
This landmark achievement in military cooperation not only reflects the growing partnership between the US and Japan but also demonstrates a concerted effort to bolster regional security in an era of increasing geopolitical uncertainty.
