The HMS Prince of Wales Service Strike Group will hyperlink up with the Japanese activity group of the JS Kaga to follow mixed F-35B operations.
The UK’s Royal Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Protection Pressure (JMSDF) will once more cooperate to assist put together the latter for the introduction of the F-35B Lightning II STOVL (Quick Take-Off and Vertical Touchdown) variant of the jet. The HMS Prince of Wales will meet with the JS Kaga to “follow mixed F-35 operations,” the Royal Navy introduced on Jul. 29, 2025.
Whereas not acknowledged explicitly, British F-35Bs are prone to function off the Izumo-class JS Kaga, conducting cross-deck landings and take-offs from the Japanese ship. The JS Kaga completed modification in early-2024 from an amphibious assault helicopter ship to a ‘Lightning service’. The JS Izumo, the lead ship of the category, is presently present process the identical modification, anticipated to conclude by 2028.
The exercise comes shut on the heels of the primary three of Japan’s 42 F-35Bs noticed arriving at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam on Aug. 1, 2025 through the ferry flight. The jets are scheduled to reach at Nyutabaru Air Base by Aug. 7, and might be assigned to a briefly established F-35B unit. The Japan Air Self-Protection Pressure (JASDF) already operates the CTOL (Standard Take-Off and Touchdown) F-35A variant, and can quickly function additionally the B variant.
An F-35B Lightning II plane, flown by a take a look at pilot from Air Check and Analysis Squadron Two Three (VX-23), lands aboard Japan’s Izumo-class multi-functional destroyer JS Kaga (DDH-184) for the primary time Oct. 20, 2024, off the southern coast of California. pic.twitter.com/nkDD199mTW
— 58th TFS (@58thTFS) October 21, 2024
The Royal Navy’s announcement in regards to the impending F-35B operations off the JS Kaga arrived because the service wrapped up its participation in Train Talisman Sabre 25. Held off the waters off Australia’s Northern Territory, the train was a part of the Service Strike Group 25 (CSG25) deployment, designated Operation Highmast, which additionally noticed the HMS Prince of Wales internet hosting F-35Bs from the U.S. Marine Corps’s Marine Fighter Assault Squadron 242 “Bats” (VMFA-242) on Jul. 8, 2025.
Japanese preparations for the F-35B
The JMSDF’s first main occasion with the F-35B befell on Oct. 20, 2024, when a specifically instrumented Lightning II from the Air Check and Analysis Squadron Two Three (VX-23) landed on the JS Kaga off the coast of southern California. Together with the F-35B from the VX-23, a crew from the F-35 Pax ITF (Pax River Built-in Check Pressure) additionally launched into the ship in San Diego to assist the testing, just like the trials on the British and Italian carriers.
F-35Bが現地時間10月20日15時ごろ、初の着艦に成功！！🛩⚓ @USNavy @USMC
矩形の飛行甲板となった護衛艦「#かが」は #F35B の艦上運用に必要な諸元を収集するため、🇺🇸サンディエゴ沖にて米海軍及び米海兵隊の支援を得て所要の試験を実施中です！#自由で開かれたインド太平洋 pic.twitter.com/ar7tVYhSEc
— 防衛省 海上自衛隊 (@JMSDF_PAO) October 21, 2024
JMSDF officers beforehand visited the RN’s HMS Prince of Wales in Nov. 2023 to review the F-35B’s executing brief take-offs and vertical landings. Based on the Royal Navy, this occurred when the British service was conducting the “third section of advanced trials” with the jet in what it termed as “Improvement Check 3” to increase working limits, sortie charges and testing payloads. Phases one and two had been carried aboard the sister vessel HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Beside the technical, tactical, logistical, operational elements of fifth-generation service plane’s deck operations, the five-member JMSDF delegation led by Captain Sato Tsuyoshi, the Izumo-class particular modification programme lead, “had been proven each side of life aboard Prince of Wales off the Jap Seaboard.” This was adopted by JMSDF officers visiting the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour plane service late in Aug. 2024 once more to review F-35B operations, when the warship was at Yokosuka Naval Base throughout its Indo-Pacific marketing campaign. The Italians additionally achieved Preliminary Operational Functionality of their F-35B fleet at the moment.
As touched upon in earlier reviews by The Aviationist, equally to the Royal Air Pressure (RAF) and Royal Navy (RN), the 2 Italian providers collectively practice, function and keep their F-35B fleets, to simplify logistics and upkeep. The trilateral Italian, British and Japanese cooperation can also be an expanded a part of the a lot centered and high-end tri-national sixth era GCAP (World Fight Air Programme).
HMS Prince of Wales
The Royal Navy’s announcement in regards to the impending F-35B operations with the JS Kaga arrived because the service wrapped up its participation in Train Talisman Sabre 25. Held off the waters off Australia’s Northern Territory, the train was a part of the Service Strike Group 25 (CSG25) deployment, designated Operation Highmast, throughout which HMS Prince of Wales additionally hosted F-35Bs from the U.S. Marine Corps’s Marine Fighter Assault Squadron 242 “Bats” (VMFA-242) on Jul. 8, 2025.
The Royal Navy added that the service had left the northern Australian port of Darwin and was en path to Japan, in what can be probably the most militarily and strategically vital leg of its deployment within the Indo-Pacific. Open supply warship trackers on X captured the British service crusing into Darwin on Jul. 23, 2025.
Amid constantly elevated tensions with the PRC (Folks’s Republic of China), the U.Ok., the USA, Japan, Italy and South Korea and France are part of the broader Western alliance dealing with China, Russia and North Korea, who’ve closed ranks off-late.
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) Queen Elizabeth-class plane service coming into Darwin, Australia – July 23, 2025
SRC: FB- Royal Navy pic.twitter.com/0liyxSgKO6
— WarshipCam (@WarshipCam) July 23, 2025
“Each nations function the identical brief take-off/vertical touchdown model of the stealth jet, the B variant, though Japan has not flown the fifth-generation strike fighter for fairly so long as the UK,” mentioned the Royal Navy’s press launch. “The 2 allies will work collectively at sea for every week, earlier than the UK activity group splits: some will head to South Korea, others, together with HMS Prince of Wales, will make for Japan.”
The Service Air Wing aboard the HMS Prince of Wales consists of 24 F-35Bs, assigned to the RN 809 NAS (Naval Air Squadron) and RAF 617 Squadron. Equally to the RAF, the JASDF would additionally function the Japanese F-35Bs and fly them off the JMSDF’s JS Izumo and JS Kaga. Contemplating a deliberate F-35A stock of 105 airframes, the full fleet of 147 F-35s would make it the second-largest Lightning II operator after the USA.
JS Kaga and JS Izumo
The Kaga and its sister ship, the JS Izumo, had been present process modification and reconstruction to make use of the F-35B, with the work on the Kaga commencing in Mar. 2022 at Hiroshima’s Kure shipyard. The JMSDF then launched photographs after the rework on Apr. 6, 2024, exhibiting a brand new rectangular flight deck changing the unique trapezoidal one.
The primary particular modification work on the destroyer ”KAGA” was accomplished as deliberate on March 29.The JMSDF will proceed to systematically perform the required modifications to the “IZUMO” class destroyer with a view to purchase the operational functionality of the F-35B. pic.twitter.com/JTaLkjRWu5
— Japan Maritime Self-Protection Pressure (@jmsdf_pao_eng) April 6, 2024
Different modifications to the Kaga included making use of heat-resistant materials on its flight deck to tolerate the F-35B’s vectored thrust engine and new lights for nighttime operations.
3 OCT, the #JMSDF performed verification of takeoff and touchdown of the USMC F-35B to JS #IZUMO.The JMSDF continues to steadily perform the required modifications to the IZUMO class to amass the aptitude to function the F-35Bs. pic.twitter.com/0gtPNzrxQC
— Japan Maritime Self-Protection Pressure (@jmsdf_pao_eng) October 5, 2021
The Izumo underwent the primary section of modifications in 2021, with its flight deck coated with heat-resistant paint, and later noticed the primary touchdown of a F-35B in cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corps. The reconstruction’s second section is predicted to begin by late this 12 months or early-2025. The ship would additionally obtain inside compartments and infrastructure to assist F-35B operations, together with magazines storing the jet’s munitions.
