 |
| Japans Helicopter Carrier: JS Izumo (DDH-183) |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
Japan’s navy uses review to display its military might.
This weekend, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) displayed its naval power during a fleet review involving 50 vessels and 61 aircraft in Sagami Bay off Yokosuka, 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Tokyo, The Japan Times reports.
Japan’s navy used the review to showcase its latest hardware including carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines. Vessels from India, South Korea, Australia, France and the United States also participated in the event. 10, 000 Japanese citizens won tickets to observe the naval parade aboard JMSDF vessels.
This year’s review marked the 28th iteration of the event first re-introduced in 1957 (the original fleet review first took place in 1868) and held every three years since then. In 2012, 45 vessels, 30 aircraft and around 8,000 sailors participated in the martial display in addition to three foreign ships.
The 2015 fleet review’s uncontested highlight was the participation of the helicopter carrier JS Izumo (DDH-183), the largest surface combatant in the Japanese fleet. Commissioned in March 2015, the 248-meter-long carrier displaces 27,000 tons when fully loaded and can carry up to 14 helicopters. (The vessel could also potentially carry fixed-wing aircraft.)
Read the full story at The Diplomat