Modifications to launch F-35B from Japan's lzumo-class warships are no surprise

摘要

Some military secrets are better kept than others. The emergence of Tokyo's real plan for its pair of Izumo-class helicopter destroyers was always, to naval observers, more a matter of when than if. With their 248m (814ft) length, expansive flight decks and large hangars, the JS lzumo and her sister JS Kaga are the largest ships in the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF)-and aircraft carriers in all but name.