Japan ordered forty-two F-35Bs in 2019, enough to support two ship detachments plus training, maintenance, and availability demands. The planned normal load is about twelve fighters per ship, with room to rise toward eighteen when a more sustained combat air patrol is required. A representative twenty-one-aircraft group has twelve F-35Bs, seven anti-submarine helicopters, and two search-and-rescue helicopters. Officials described the class's role as strengthening air defence in the Pacific and protecting Self-Defense Force pilots. That mix preserves the class's original undersea-warfare role while adding fleet air defence rather than replacing one mission with the other. Izumo began conversion work in 2020 and Kaga in 2022, with further phased upgrades likely as operating experience accumulates.
Chapter · 35:10-37:52
Building a sustainable Izumo air group
Japan's 42-aircraft F-35B order supports two useful detachments while preserving helicopters for anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue.