*ABOARD USS WASP, Philippine Sea: The U.S. military on Friday launchedvertical take-off and landing (VTOL) F-35Bs from the deck of the USS Waspamphibious carrier in the waters around Okinawa in its first show ofstealth aircraft force at sea.*
The exercise comes at a time when concerns remain high over North Korea’snuclear program, although regional tension has eased in recent weeks,coinciding with the North’s participation in the Winter Olympics held inSouth Korea last month.
“This is a historic deployment. For the first time we take a marine stealthfighter F-35B. We pair it with a navy amphibious ship,” Rear Admiral BradCooper, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Strike Group 7, toldreporters.
“And together this represents what I believe is the most significant leapin war fighting capability of our lifetime … It gives us more ability tounderscore peace, security and stability in this region.”
During the training, an F-35B fighter took off after running just 100meters (109 yards) or so on the deck, and when it came back with its jetengine roaring, the aircraft hovered over the ship once, and then began itsslow, vertical descent.
It is capable of a vertical, as well as short takeoff.
In November, the United States deployed 16 F-35Bs to its Marine Corps basein Iwakuni, western Japan. The refurbished Wasp moved to its base in Saseboon Japan’s major southwestern island of Kyushu in January to replace theamphibious carrier that was deployed there.
SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE
While the U.S. Air Force version of the F-35 is already flying from basesin Japan, the addition of the F-35B to replace aging Harrier jump jetsmarks a significant upgrade to U.S. marine force capability around the EastChina Sea, where China is also bolstering its military.
China already has one operational aircraft carrier, the second-handSoviet-era Liaoning bought from Ukraine in 1998, and is carrying out testson its first indigenously built carrier, launched last year and expected toenter service in 2020.
Beijing is also modernizing its military with stealth aircraft and othernew equipment, and plans to spend 1.11 trillion yuan ($176 billion) on itsarmed forces in 2018, more than three times as much as Japan and around athird of what the United States spends.
Japan may also buy the F-35B, which it could fly from its two Izumo-classhelicopters carriers with small improvements to the ships such asstrengthening their decks against the 450 degree Celsius (842°F) heat blastfrom the F-35B’s engine.
“Changes to the Izumo could be completed within three months,” said aretired senior commander of Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force (MSDF). Heasked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic.
Japan, which has already ordered 42 F-35As, could also operate F-35Bs fromislands along the Okinawa chain that skirts the edge of the East China Seathat don’t have runways.
“Using its stealth capabilities the F-35 could fly deep into North Korea orChina to target mobile air defense batteries or ballistic missilelaunchers,” said Bonji Ohara, senior fellow at Sasakawa Peace Foundation, athink-tank. Ohara also is a former MSDF captain. Agencies