The Hyuga is seen in Yokohama on Wednesday.
PHOTO FROM MSDF

MSDF commissions helicopter carrier with female personnel aboard for 1st time

Wednesday 18th March, 02:15 AM JST

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Keithhhh4 at 11:50 PM JST - 18th March

In the US we call them "Love Boats"....LOL the pregnancy rate for women that serve on them is around 60%
USNinJapan2 at 11:55 PM JST - 18th March

Keithhhh4

60%? Uh, no. Try maybe in the low teens, if that.
diuneahma at 02:29 AM JST - 19th March

Why don't they called it the Akagi or Hiryu or something like that?
wanderlust at 06:21 AM JST - 19th March

Better warn all fishing boats - stay out of the way - they are going to have problems seeing over the side of that monstrosity, even if they manage to stay awake on watch...
OssanAmerica at 07:31 AM JST - 19th March

In the event of conflict with China, Jp will say goodbye to their latest >toy.

In the event of conflict with China, the US-JP Mutual Defense Treaty kicks in and China can say goodbye to all their toys.
nanotechnology at 01:31 PM JST - 19th March

china/USSR/Vietnam/Iran/India has the hypersonic anti-ship missiles (based from Sunburn missile technology of the USSR) but the range is up to 300-km only.

Flattops has aircraft and cruise missile that has a range of 1,000 to 1,400km and is very accurate like the AGM-86/129 and Tomahawk. Flattops when combined with the Aegis systems, before drawing nearer to 700-km, all of the enemies will be vaporized already.
apecNetworks at 04:27 PM JST - 19th March

It looks like the Defense Ministry and I are both on the same page, but I was thinking along the lines of a renovated USS Kitty Hawk. The Hyuga does give the MSDF additional capabilities, allowing a command and control vessel to extend reach to cover Japan's immediate interests. W/ a new multifunctional fighter plane, Japan would have the foundation for a good defense. They have come sooooo far.
Starviking at 05:09 PM JST - 19th March

@apecNetworks

the cost to renovate old carriers is high. Kitty Hawk, which runs on obsolete Steam Plants would be a ship too far for any navy nowadays.

Now if the JMSDF really wanted a carrier they could licence the CVF design from the UK.
Starviking at 05:12 PM JST - 19th March

@nanotechnology

Well said. Also, a lot of people also forget that the 'super' hypersonic anti-ship missiles need targeting info. Any Chinese ships or planes trying to get that info are in for a lot of grief in a hot war.
Starviking at 05:18 PM JST - 19th March

@USNinJapan

It's mission is anti-submarine warfare, which is why it's pointless to discuss deploying Harriers or other strike aircraft on her as some are doing on this thread. It's an ASW destroyer with an oversized flight deck to accomodate additional helos, nothing more.

At full load the Hyuga is 18,000t, the Royal Navy's Invincible-class Light Carriers are 20,500t at full load - so not far off. I wouldn't call them oversized destroyers - I think that terminology was used to deflect criticism of these carriers.

That said, I understand they've been self-limited: Most of the hangar is only high enough to handle the small SH-60 helicopters. Permanently carrying fixed-wing aircraft on this ship is not possible without a major reconstruction.
apecNetworks at 05:57 PM JST - 20th March

Yes, I can understand the extra costs and effort to squeeze new technology into an older ship, but I was speculating on a ship more as a trainer, rather than an actual service ship. Don't know the level of technology employed in the Hyuga, but probably higher than I would guess. The Hyuga is way beyond what I was expecting Japan to manufacture, but they have for several decades exceeded what I expected. Personally, their performances have impressed me.
apecNetworks at 05:58 PM JST - 20th March

Correction: To Starviking
Starviking at 01:28 AM JST - 21st March

@apecNetworks

I could see that. Hyuga could be good for practicing fixed wing aircraft operations. The problem is the firestorm such training would kick up in the surrounding nations.
USNinJapan2 at 12:59 AM JST - 23rd March

tetsukon

jets are not just useful for strike but also a useful weapons for anti ship operations.

You're kidding. Good thing you pointed that out before I asked my squadron CO.

Point is, the Hyuga was never designed to carry fixed-wing aircraft and isn't capable of it. Her hangars and elevators are designed specifically for helo-ops and at 650 ft long and lacking a "ski-ramp" her flight deck is too short for AV-8B's which is the only V/STOL fighter Japan can possibly add to it's inventory in the near future. If the JMSDF ever envisioned putting fixed-wing jets on this ship they would have started by purchasing the new aircraft, developing a supply system for it, and creating a training pipeline for maritime strike jet pilots (there aren't any currently in the JMSDF) long before the Hyuga left the drawing boards.
Ayesha at 11:13 AM JST - 23rd March

This is the first of several such vessels. Could be described as a helicopter carrier that looks like an aircraft carrier. This is a continuation of the Japanese military philosopy of building impressive structures (like the feudal castles) to give an impression of strength.

It's hard to see the strategic value of something like this, apart, perhaps as a transport to support SDF operations in places like Afghanistan. But if there is only a small hangar, then it can't carry much in terms of supplies. Predictably, a few months ago China announced hat it would start to build aircraft carriers. That this the real impact of Japan's decision to build the Hyuga, and is something the USN will need to deal with in the future.