Japan’s Largest Helo Carrier DDH-184 JS Kaga Headed to San Diego for F-35B Testing
This Halloween, a Japanese flat-top bearing an illustrious name of one sunk at the battle of Midway may be sighted off Point Loma flying stealth jets onto North Island Naval Air Station. But this is not a ghost ship, and there is no need for San Diego's own USS Midway to get underway. Japan's largest warship, the Izumo-class carrier JS Kaga (DDH-184), will conduct F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter developmental tests off San Diego, California from October 5 to November 18, 2023. This is part of Japan's effort to convert its two Izumo-class ships (Izumo and Kaga) from helicopter carriers to F-35B-capable aircraft carriers. Kaga has already undergone the first stage of conversion, including modifying its flight deck from a trapezoid to a rectangular shape, similar to US amphibious assault ships. The trials will help determine the optimal interior configuration for F-35B operations on these ships. Japan has ordered 42 F-35Bs, with 6 expected to be delivered by th