Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:56:30-1:57:26

An Izumo conversion cannot match Queen Elizabeth scale

Adding a ski jump or catapult could make Izumo more useful as a carrier, but its much smaller hull prevents it from becoming equivalent to the Queen Elizabeth class.

Aircraft CarriersF-35BIzumo Class Helicopter DestroyersJapanese NavyQueen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers
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Question

Could a converted Izumo-class ship become better than the Queen Elizabeth class?

Short answer

No; it could become a more useful light carrier, while a true Japanese peer would require a larger follow-on design.

Notes

Displacement and flight-deck scale matter more than individual conversion features. Izumo can be improved for fixed-wing operations, yet it cannot generate the capacity of a much larger British carrier. The more interesting long-term possibility is a Japanese successor influenced by Queen Elizabeth-class design and built around the F-35B. That distinction separates what a conversion can accomplish from what requires a new ship.