Japan Clears Way for First Aircraft Carriers in 70 Years
The carriers would be the first since the Imperial Japanese Navy of World War II.
By Kyle Mizokami
Nov 28, 2018
Japan has cleared the way to purchase the vertical-takeoff and -landing version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter while looking into basing them on so-called helicopter carriers. The result would be Japan’s first fixed-wing aircraft carriers since World War II.
The report in Nippon News Network says that Japan has finalized plans to purchase 40 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters. Unlike its siblings, the F-35B is capable of taking off and landing vertically by rotating its exhaust nozzle ninety degrees down. This makes it capable of taking off from ships not fitted with aircraft-launching steam or electromagnetic catapults. Japan has already agreed to purchase 42 F-35A fighters, the same version used by the U.S. Air Force, with deliveries ongoing.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a25310407/japan-clears-way-for-first-aircraft-carriers-in-70-years/
