That is one nice-looking "Jeep" carrier!
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That is one nice-looking "Jeep" carrier!
I had talked to several Japanese Naval officers about their classification of their "destroyer" a while back. They told me the Japanese Constitution prohibits the manufacturing of aircraft carriers since they are considered offensive weapons. "Destroyers" are considered defensive weapons. LOL
--fjruple
Let's not forget that their abstinence from offensive weapons has been essentially a voluntary thing. With all the sabers rattling in that area, I'm surprised it took them this long to come up with something of this magnitude.
Bob
I seem to remember the Royal Navy having "through-deck cruisers" at one time.
Except the lack of VSTOL it appears to be similar to a Tarawa Class AAS.
Hey guy's check out my Japanese entrenching shovel..... What say you? it looks like a T99? NO,NO,,, it has no bayonet or sling!!
Military Surplus Collectors Forums
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The offensive weapons restriction was put on them by the US after WWII. But the US has recently been pressuring them to discard that portion of their constitution. China on the other hand does not want that restriction removed and it seems for the most part, the Japanese people don't either.
The last time I recall much talk on this was the gear to for the war in Afghanistan when the "West" felt Japan should be included in ventures such as this and Iraq. I believe they sent some medical personnel but I don't exactly recall.
A through deck cruiser is considered a hybrid. It can carry some limited forms of aircraft, generally VSTOL and Helicopters but at the same time it is capable of defending itself against external threats. Most true aircraft carriers lack all but minimal defensive capabilities and require escort ships such as frigates or guided missile cruisers to provide for their defense. These are considered to be more economical to both build and use.
This Japanese ship lacks (presently) the capability of operating standard aircraft. It does not have catapults. But we don't know if it was designed to be retrofitted with catapults. It also lacks the angled flight deck which would be required for extensive flight capabilities. It cannot for instance launch and land aircraft at the same time. But again, these can be retrofitted at a later date.
The Japanese were experts at conversions of other ship types into aircraft carriers. They purpose built ships with full intent to convert them to aircraft carriers in the event of war. So it is not a stretch to imagine they could have factored this into this ship.
You don't need catapults or angled flight decks, or even arrestor gear for STOVL aircraft like the F-35B. You don't even need ski-jumps if you're not trying to get every last pound of payload of your aircraft. You can launch and land STOVL from straight-deck carriers at the same time.
Yeah, it is a sinister looking ship isn't it. But it'll probably not even count in a regional conflict with North Korea or China. They'll need many more of them. It's been said it'll serve as a rescue ship too. In such a case, it is something they could have used in the disaster of 2011 in searching for survivors in a debris filled ocean.
Hope you are not trying to FRAC with that.Quote:
Originally Posted by WarPig1976