The U.S. military's state-of-the-art F-35B stealth fighter jets successfully landed on and took off from the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Izumo destroyer, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The test marked the first time for such landings and takeoffs to be conducted on the Izumo.
The ministry is planning to introduce the F-35B to the Air Self-Defense Force by fiscal 2023 to improve its aerial defense capabilities at sea.
The test took place on Sunday in the Pacific Ocean off Shikoku, according to the ministry, with the F-35Bs flying in from U.S. Marine Corp Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
The F-35B is capable of vertical takeoff and landing. When landing vertically, the vessel's deck is exposed to the heat from the jet's exhaust. To allow the F-35B to operate on the Izumo, the ministry made several modifications to the destroyer, such as applying the deck with a heat-resistant coating.
The test made sure there were no problems using the Izumo for the F-35B.
The ministry is also planning to apply similar modifications to Kaga, another destroyer in the same class as the Izumo.
"Conducting the validation test with U.S. support shows close cooperation between Japan and the United States," Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said at a press conference Tuesday. "We will continue trying to improve our capabilities in the sea and air domains."
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