The Japanese "Izumo" with a displacement of 26,000 tons
The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced on October 5, 2021: "Two US Marine Corps F-35Bs have successfully launched a Taking off and landing on the Izumo helicopter frigate (DDH-183). "Why does Japan call the Izumo with a displacement of 26,000 tons a frigate?" It can carry F-35B, does that mean it will transform into a real aircraft carrier?
Japan’s name for their own warships is full of word games that are misleading. After World War II, some treaties restricted Japan's development of weapons and equipment. In order to deceive others, Japan calls all large warships frigates. However, in fact, there are obvious differences in Japan's naming of ships, ship type abbreviations, and hull numbers.
For example, in terms of ship type abbreviations, DE stands for frigate, DD stands for destroyer, and DDH stands for helicopter destroyer. On the hull number, frigates are all "2", destroyers are "1", and large amphibious warfare ships are "4". If you are familiar with Japanese geography, you can also distinguish the types of ships from their names.
Their frigates are generally named after rivers. For example, the first Mogami-class ship launched in March this year was named after the Mogami River in northeastern Honshu. The second ship is named "Kumano", which comes from the Kumano River in Wakayama Prefecture. The "Abukuma"-class "Abukuma" and "Tone" are named after the Avukuma River and Tone River in the eastern and central parts of the Honshu region respectively.
The destroyers, 4 "Kongo" class and 2 "Atago" class, as well as the retired "Haruna" and "Shirane" class equipped with three helicopters, are all named after the names of mountains. These few This ship name was also used by Japanese battleships during World War II.
These fourth-class destroyers are larger than the destroyers of other countries in the same period. The ship type abbreviation is DDH, which is similar to the Japanese destroyers of other countries in the same period. , most of them continued the naming habit of destroyers during World War II, naming them after meteorological names such as wind, cloud, rain, snow, fog, moon, thunder, etc.
For example, "Chaofeng", "Flag Wind", "Chaofeng". Snow, First Snow, Asagiri, Yugiri, etc., as well as the currently active Murasame, Harusame, Den, Thunder, Takaha, Akizuki and Asahi classes. They The abbreviation of the ship type is also DD.
In addition, judging from the organization and allocation alone, the ships in the "88 Fleet" formed in the 1980s were all destroyers, and all frigates and some were eliminated. The destroyers that came down were all assigned to the local garrison fleet.
As for the four so-called "frigates" and "large through-deck helicopter destroyers" after the "Atago" class, the names and appearance of the ships are even more wordplay. Everyone who knows the history of World War II knows that at that time, the "Hyuga" and "Ise" were first battleships, and then in 1943 and 1942, part of the turrets were removed and converted into half-baked aircraft carriers capable of carrying more than a dozen aircraft (the construction period for complete conversion into an aircraft carrier was too long. (Chief).
The second ship of the "Izumo" class, the "Kaga", was an out-and-out aircraft carrier during World War II. It was a battleship when it was started, and then the number of battleships was restricted due to the naval treaty. tonnage, was discontinued, and then converted into an aircraft carrier. The "Izumo" was built in 1898 and was the main force during the Russo-Japanese War. After World War I, it was modified to add seaplane operations.
In 1937, it participated in the war of aggression against China as the flagship of the Third Fleet. It was attacked by the Chinese Air Force and torpedo boats many times but was not sunk. As a result, it became famous and continued to operate rampantly until 1943, when it returned to Japan and was used as a training ship.
Judging from the displacement and appearance of the four "Izumo" ships, they are definitely not frigates or destroyers. Considering the perspective of "using ship-based helicopters as the main means of combat and support", they are fully equipped with helicopters. The basic characteristics of a carrier, so it should at least be called a helicopter carrier. Japan obviously continues to hide its name, that is, it does not use the terms "aircraft carrier", "mothership" and "Helicopter Carrier".
In "Izumo". The test of taking off and landing the F-35B was also a sideline, testing the bottom line of various countries around the world while deceiving oneself. The definition of an aircraft carrier is "a carrier-based aircraft as its main combat weapon, which can provide the take-off and landing of carrier-based aircraft." Landing of large surface ships."
Generally speaking, aircraft carriers should be able to take off and land fixed-wing aircraft using conventional take-off and landing methods. However, many countries' light aircraft carriers are now equipped with short-range vertical take-off and landing aircraft such as the F-35B and "Sea Harrier".
The obvious difference in appearance is only on the ski jump take-off deck. However, the U.S. amphibious assault ship is also equipped with F-35B on a flat deck. Therefore, this difference only affects the take-off weight, dispatch rate, and number of deck parking of the F-35B. The combat capability will be different, but it does not affect whether it has amphibious assault capabilities. It has the combat capability of warships and light aircraft carriers.