JS Kaga

The ship can host up to 28 aircraft, or 14 helicopters.[7] While Japanese nomenclature calls Kaga a "multi-purpose operation destroyer", its main purpose is destroying enemy submarines.[8] Despite this, only 7 anti-submarine warfare helicopters and 2 search and rescue helicopters are planned for the initial aircraft complement. 400 troops and 50 3.5-ton trucks (or equivalent equipment) can also be carried.

Kaga's flight deck has five helicopter landing spots that allow for simultaneous landings or take-offs.[9] Like the Izumo, Kaga features no 'ski-jump' ramp for aircraft takeoff, instead using a square flight deck, in a similar manner to the American Wasp and America-class amphibious assault ships.[10]

In 2010, Forecast International reported that some design features were intended to support fixed-wing aircraft such as the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II;[11] as of 2019 both Kaga and Izumo are scheduled to be refit to accommodate the F-35B STOVL variant during its five-year overhaul in 2022.[12] Kaga's reconstruction is estimated to be completed as early as 2021.[13]

In 2019, it was reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a ¥26.2 trillion (US$238.72 billion) five-year defence budget, which included the upgrade of Izumo and Kaga and the purchase of a combined 147 F-35A and F-35B stealth fighters.[14] According to the newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is planning to acquire a total of 42 F-35B variants, introducing 18 by FY2023, six in FY2024 and two in FY2025. These are to form a single squadron consisting of about 20 aircraft. Japan’s Defense Minister, Nobuo Kishi, announced that Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu will host the F-35Bs. The base is located near the Southwest Islands, including Okinawa, and JMSDF’s Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture, which is Kaga‘s home port.[15] Kaga began her initial modifications in March 2022 at the Japan Marine United (JMU) shipyard in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. The proposed modification of Kaga will be more extensive than for her sister ship (and significantly more expensive) and includes changes to the shape of the bow. The initial modification of Kaga is expected to take 14 months, followed by a second modification of the ship’s interior, which is expected to begin in March 2027.[16]

Kaga is 812 feet (247 m) long, and displaces 27,000 tons, making it the largest ship in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. However, it is considerably smaller than other contemporary aircraft carriers – the USS George H.W. Bush, for instance, is 1,092 feet (333 m) and over 100,000 tons.[8]

The ship is equipped with two Phalanx CiWS (close-in weapon systems) and two SeaRAM CiWS for her defense.[17]