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| JMSDF Hyuga DDH-181 Helicopter Carrier/Destroyer sister ship to JMSDF Ise (Wiki Info) |
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) plans to deploy its Ise destroyer on April 5 into the South China Sea.
Ise’s visit to the South China Sea catches crucial attention due to its extraordinary capabilities. Measuring up to 197 meters in length and 33 meters in width with a standard displacement of 13,950 tons, ranking it second in scale only to the 19,500-ton Izumo in the JMSDF. It has also the capacity of carrying up to 11 SH-60J/K Seahawk helicopters – equipped with powerful anti-submarine patrol capabilities that track down enemy’s.
The US is currently struggling with tracking of Chinese submarines traveling to the West Pacific across the deep waters of the South China Sea. The Ise boasts the highest anti-submarine capabilities in the JSMDF as Japanese news outlets said. For that reason, the first request it made to Japan now that the latter has gained the ability to exercise collective self-defense authority was to share in anti-submarine patrolling in the broad South China Sea area.
Read the full story at Tankler News