 JSKaga (DDH/CVM-184) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Japan | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | Kaga Province |
| Ordered | 2010 |
| Cost | US$1.05 billion |
| Laid down | 7 October 2013 |
| Launched | 27 August 2015 |
| Commissioned | 22 March 2017 |
| Identification |
|
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Izumo-class aircraft-carrying multi-role cruiser[2] |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 248 m (814 ft) |
| Beam | 38 m (125 ft) |
| Draft | 7.5 m (25 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | more than 30knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried |
|
JSKaga (DDH/CVM-184) is anaircraft-carrying multi-rolecruiser of theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), which was previously classified as a multi-purpose operationdestroyer.[1][2][3] She is currently undergoing conversion, which is scheduled to be complete around fiscal year 2027.[4] She is the second ship in theIzumo class, the other beingJS Izumo.[5][6][7] Her namesake arises fromKaga Province (加賀国,Kaga no kuni) in present-dayIshikawa Prefecture.
The modern-dayKaga shares its name with aWWII-era aircraft carrier whentranscribed into English, but unlike her WWII-era predecessor, whose name was written inkanji (加賀), the newKaga is written inhiragana (かが).[8] She is also slightly longer than her World War II predecessor.Kaga andIzumo 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 regardingthe contested ownership of theSenkaku Islands.
As of 2024[update], the first stage to convertKaga into a fixed-wing carrier capable of operating VTOL aircraft such as theF-35B has been completed.
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Kaga was intended to replace the agingShirane-classdestroyerKurama, based on the schedule outlined within the23 Mid-term Defence Capability Maintenance Plan to construct a 19,500-ton helicopter destroyer. Construction began at the Yokohama plant ofJapan Marine United on 7 October 2013, and the ship waslaunched on 27 August 2015, with the commissioning on 22 March 2017.[9] Construction of the ship before the aircraft carrier conversion cost¥115 billion (US$1.05 billion).[10][11]
The ship can host up to twenty-eight aircraft,[citation needed] or 14 helicopters.[12] Japanese nomenclature calledKaga a "multi-purpose operation destroyer" and its main purpose in the past was destroying enemysubmarines.[13] Despite this, only 7anti-submarine warfare helicopters and 2search 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'sflight deck has five helicopter landing spots that allow for simultaneous landings or take-offs. Like theIzumo,Kaga features noski-jump ramp for aircraft takeoff, instead using a long flat flight deck, in a similar manner to the USWasp-class andAmerica-classamphibious assault ships.[14]
In 2010,Forecast International reported that it looked like some original design features were intended to support fixed-wing aircraft, such as theBell-Boeing V-22 Osprey andLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II;[15] as of 2019, bothKaga andIzumo are scheduled to be refit to accommodate the F-35BSTOVL variant during their sequential overhauls, which will take five-years, starting in 2022.[16]Kaga's reconstruction was speculated to begin as early as 2021.[17]
Kaga began her initial modifications in March 2022 at theJapan Marine United (JMU) shipyard inKure, Hiroshima Prefecture. The proposed modification ofKaga 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 ofKaga 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.[18][19]
In 2019, it was reported that Prime MinisterShinzo Abe approved a¥26.2 trillion (US$238.72 billion) five-year defense budget, which included the upgrade ofIzumo andKaga and the purchase of a combined 147F-35A and F-35Bstealth fighters.[20]
According to the newspaperMainichi 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 thatNyutabaru Air Base inMiyazaki Prefecture,Kyushu will host the F-35Bs. The base is located near the Southwest Islands, including Okinawa, and JMSDF'sKure Base inHiroshima Prefecture, which is Kaga's home port.[21]
Kaga is 814 feet (248 m) long anddisplaces 27,000 tons, making her the largest ship in theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force. She is in the category of light carriers, such as Italy'sCavour, and sized similar to many nations' dedicated amphibious ships. She is considerably smaller than'super' aircraft carriers – theUSS George H.W. Bush, for instance, is 1,092 feet (333 m) long and over 100,000 tons.[13]
The ship is equipped with twoPhalanxCIWS (close-in weapon systems) and twoSeaRAM CIWS for her defense.[22]
Kaga toured theSouth China Sea and the Indian Ocean during the Indo Southeast Asia Deployment (ISEAD) exercise in 2018 to bolster Japan's presence ingeostrategic waters, eventually sailing to the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka.[23][24]
During astate visit to Japan in May 2019,Donald Trump visitedKaga inYokosuka. During his visit, Trump made a speech in which he claimed that many of the United States's allies were taking advantage of itshigh 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 comingReiwa Era.[13]
Between October and 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 ownF-35Bs.[25] The F-35Bs were fromAir Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 of theUnited States Navy, and the pilots were from the F-35 Patuxent River Integrated Test Force (Pax ITF). On 7 November 2024, theJapanese Maritime Self-Defense Force announced that the trials had been completed already.[26]
Kaga's mascot is the personification ofher World War II-era predecessor inKantai Collection, where she is one of the most popular characters of the franchise. It began whenKadokawa Games shared official art onTwitter, depicting 1928 Kaga'sKantai Collection counterpart holding a scale model of the newKaga the day after she was launched.[27] It then continued whenKaga participated in the Indo Southeast Asia Deployment (ISEAD) exercise in 2018. Upon her return to Kure,Kantai Collection provided new art of their personification ofKaga 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.[28]
Kaga is also featured in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmCaptain America: Brave New World as part of the Japanese fleet contestingCelestial Island. She is the target of a brainwashed US Navy pilot'skamikaze run when hisF/A-18 runs out of missiles, and is saved by the titular Captain America,Sam Wilson.
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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.
