Commissioned at Yokosuka port in Japan in March 2015, Izumo became operational in time to take part in a major August 2015 disaster drill conducted in Tokyo, alongside the Japan Coast Guard’s large patrol vessel Izu. The two vessels acted as casualty receiving and triage stations during the exercise.
In May 2017 Izumo was deployed to escort USNS Richard E. Byrd, a US supply vessel, to the area off Shikoku. Richard E. Byrd’s mission was to refuel another US warship that was defending against North Korean missiles. This was the first time a Japanese vessel was deployed to escort a US ship since security legislation was enacted in March 2016. A small protest took place at Yokosuka after Izumo’s departure, under the belief that the deployment of an aircraft carrier was a violation of Japan’s defense-only policy. The destroyer Sazanami also joined the mission.
In 2020, Izumo began the conversion to operate F-35B fighter aircraft. Conversion works were to proceed in two stages, with the first to strengthen the heat resistance of the deck and install power supply equipment to enable the departure and arrival of the F-35B. The renovation work to change the bow shape to a quadrangle for the safe operation of the F-35B and the maintenance of the interior compartments are scheduled to be carried out in the second stage, starting from the end of 2024. No plans exist to install a catapult or a sloping runway.
In September 2021, JS Izumo joined British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and other vessels for exercises in the Pacific.
In early October of that year, American Marine F-35B fighters operated off the Izumo for the first time.
One of the two aircraft carriers of the Japanese-built Izumo class of multi-purpose corvettes that entered service with the JMSDF in 2015 is JS Izumo (DDH-183). The ship is 248 meters long, 38 meters wide, and 7.5 meters deep. This ship can carry a maximum of 27,000 tons.
Drawing of the JS Izumo’s exterior
Four General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines are needed to power the JS Izumo. The train has a maximum range of 8,350 kilometers and a top speed of 56 km/h.
General Electric LM2500 gas turbine
The JS Izumo is outfitted with a variety of radars and long-range sonar sensors that can find targets at sea, in the air, or under the sea because it engages in sea battle. For instance, the FCS-3 radar installed on the ship can track adversarial targets at a maximum altitude of 30.48 km and a distance of 222.2 km.
Two Phalanx CIWS systems, an M61A1 Vulcan six-barreled cannon, fire control radars, two RIM-116 (RAM) anti-aircraft missile systems, and a Mark 36 SRBOC decoy launch system are all part of the JS Izumo’s defensive weapons system. The Mark 36 SRBOC decoy launch system is in charge of fooling the enemy anti-ship missiles’ guidance systems.
The JS Izumo can accommodate up to 28 fighter planes and 9 helicopters of all types, but the ship’s capacity to carry more aircraft is what gives her its strength
In support of the first ever F-35B Lightning II operations aboard a Japanese vessel, an USMC F-35B Lightning II from VMFA-242conducts a vertical landing aboard JS Izumo off the coast of Japan – October 2021
