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By Paul Kallender-Umezu
TOKYO — Last month's commissioning of the Japanese helicopter carrier Izumo spearheads the buildup of Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) antisubmarine capabilities, analysts said.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani led the March 25 commissioning of the 248-meter, 24,000-ton helicopter carrier, Japan's largest postwar naval vessel, capable of carrying seven Mitsubishi-built SH-60K antisubmarine warfare (ASW) helicopters and seven AgustaWestland MCM-101 mine countermeasure helicopters and up to 400 troops.
In this ASW role, Izumo forms the third of a four-ship force, which will include another ship in the same class, which is under construction and should enter the fleet around 2017. These two ships will join two 18,300-ton Hyuga-class helicopter carriers commissioned in 2009 and 2011, replacing two smaller Shirane- and two Haruna class-DDHs.
On face value, the Izumo class fits into a longer term MSDF strategy to counter evolving maritime threats from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), North Korea, and to a lesser extent, the Russian Pacific Fleet, said Guy Stitt, president, AMI International. These threats include increasing numbers of diesel-electric submarines armed with heavyweight torpedoes and anti-ship missiles operating in the littorals with greater range, endurance and stealth, and more strategically, the PLAN's development of missile subs and a nuclear second-strike capability.
"The Izumo brings a unique multimission capability for ASW, mine warfare and organic self-defense, as well as the ability to conduct sustained operations employing unmanned vehicles," Stitt said.
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