JS Kaga

JS Kaga (DDH-184) is a helicopter carrier with a planned future conversion into an aircraft carrier. Officially classified as a multi-purpose operation destroyer, she is the second ship in the Izumo class of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), the other being JS Izumo.[1][2][3] Her namesake arises from Kaga Province (加賀国, Kaga no kuni) in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture.

This article is about the JMSDF ship. For the Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier of the same name, see Japanese ship Kaga.
JS Kaga (DDH-184) in August 2015
History
Japan
Name: Kaga
Namesake: Kaga Province
Ordered: 2010
Laid down: 7 October 2013
Launched: 27 August 2015
Commissioned: 22 March 2017
Identification:
General characteristics
Class and type: Izumo-class aircraft carrier
Displacement:
  • 19,500 long tons (19,800 t) standard;
  • 27,000 long tons (27,000 t) full load
Length: 248 m (814 ft)
Beam: 38 m (125 ft)
Draft: 7.5 m (25 ft)
Propulsion:
Speed: more than 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • OYQ-12 combat direction system
  • FCS-3 fire control system
  • OPS-50 AESA radar
  • OPS-28 surface-search radar
  • OQQ-23 bow sonar
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • NOLQ-3D-1 EW suite
  • Mark 36 SRBOC
  • Anti-torpedo mobile decoy (MOD)
  • Floating acoustic jammer (FAJ)
Armament:
Aircraft carried:
  • 7 ASW helicopters and 2 SAR helicopters
  • 28 aircraft maximum

The ship bears the same name, and is slightly longer in length than the World War II-era Kaga, an aircraft carrier produced in 1928, which participated in the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Kaga and Izumo 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 from heightened Sino-Japanese tensions regarding the contested ownership of the Senkaku Islands. Kevin Schneider described aggressive Chinese military activity, such as the militarization of illegally built outposts in the South China Sea, as "malign".[4]

Construction

Kaga is intended to replace the aging Shirane-class destroyer Kurama, based on the schedule outlined within the 23 Mid-term Defence Capability Maintenance Plan to construct a 19,500-ton helicopter destroyer. Construction began at the Yokohama plant of Japan Marine United on 7 October 2013, and the ship was launched on 27 August 2015, with plans for commission in March 2017.[5] Construction of the ship cost ¥115 billion (US$1.05 billion).[6][7]

Characteristics

Aircraft carried

The ship can host up to 28 aircraft,[8] or 14 larger aircraft.[9] While Japanese nomenclature calls Kaga a "multi-purpose operation destroyer", its main purpose is destroying enemy submarines.[10] Despite this, only 7 anti-submarine warfare helicopters and 2 search and rescue helicopters are planned for the initial aircraft complement. 400 troops and 50 3.5-ton trucks (or equivalent equipment) can also be carried. Kaga's flight deck has five helicopter landing spots that allow for simultaneous landings or take-offs.[11]

In 2010, Forecast International reported that some design features were intended to support fixed-wing aircraft such as the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II;[12] as of 2019 both Kaga and Izumo are scheduled to be refit to accommodate the F-35B STOVL variant during its five-year overhaul in 2022.[13] Kaga's reconstruction is estimated to be completed as early as 2021.[14]

In 2019, it was reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a ¥26.2 trillion (US$240.34 billion) five-year defence budget, which included the upgrade of Izumo and Kaga and the purchase of a combined 147 F-35A and F-35B stealth fighters.[15]

Size

Kaga is 812 feet (247 m) long, and displaces 27,000 tons, making it the largest ship in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. However, it is considerably smaller than other contemporary aircraft carriers – the USS George H.W. Bush, for instance, is 1,092 feet (333 m) and over 100,000 tons.[10]

Air-defense

The ship is equipped with two Phalanx CiWS (close-in weapon systems) and two SeaRAM CiWS for her defense.[16]

History

Kaga toured the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean in 2018 in order to bolster Japan's presence in geostrategic waters, according to press reports.[17]

During a state visit to Japan in May 2019, Donald Trump visited Kaga in Yokosuka. During his visit, Trump made a speech in which he claimed that many of the United States's allies were taking advantage of its high defense budget by not spending enough on their own militaries. Trump congratulated Japan for "being a good ally and buying American", and wished them success in the coming Reiwa Era.[10]

  • JS Kaga
  • JS Kaga right front view at Port of Kanazawa (15 July 2017)
  • Kaga stern view, July 2017
  • JS Kaga with INS Chennai during JIMEX 2020 exercise.

References
  1. "海自のヘリコプター搭載護衛艦、「かが」と命名". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 27, 2015.
  2. "新護衛艦「かが」：旧日本海軍の空母「加賀」　その違いは". Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 27, 2015. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
  3. Sam LaGrone (August 27, 2015). "Japan Launches Latest Helicopter Carrier". United States Naval Institute.
  4. Robson, Seth. "Air Force Ospreys make first landing on Japanese destroyer to start Keen Sword drills". Stars and Stripes.
  5. "海自最大の護衛艦「かが」進水　ヘリ９機を同時運用". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). August 27, 2015.
  6. 平成24年度予算の概要 Archived 2012-11-13 at the Wayback Machine 防衛省、2頁
  7. 平成24年度防衛関係予算のポイント 財務省、10頁
  8. http://www.jeffhead.com/worldwideaircraftcarriers/22ddh.htm
  9. Hardy, James (25 March 2015). "Japan commissions helicopter carrier Izumo". janes.com. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  10. Zennie, Michael. "President Trump Visited Japan's Biggest Warship Since World World II. Here's What to Know About the JS Kaga". Time.
  11. "Japanese Navy with JS Kaga helicopter carrier conducts maritime exercise with Indonesian navy". Navy Recognition.
  12. Forecast International (21 June 2010). "Details of New Japanese 'Helicopter Destroyer'". Defensetalk.
  13. "USMC to Fly First F-35B from Japan's Izumo-class Aircraft Carriers". navalnews.com. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  14. "Japan, US get major military exercise going amid growing Chinese activity". Free Malaysia Today.
  15. "Japan orders more F-35s for its upgraded carriers". World Aviation & Defence News.
  16. "ＩＨＩＭＵ、防衛省から平成２２年度計画ヘリコプター搭載護衛艦を受注". Nikkei Shimbun. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  17. Kubo, Nobuhiro; Kelly, Tim (July 4, 2018). Birsel, Robert (ed.). "Exclusive: Japanese helicopter carrier to tour South China Sea, Indian Ocean for two months". Reuters. 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.
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