Lightning news from Japan
After a production gap of ten months, the nineteenth F-35A Lightning II for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), serial 09-8719 made its first flight from the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries site at Nagoya on 12 October 2020. The 20th and 21st F-35As, serial 09-8720 and 09-8722 followed on 14 October 2020. 09-8721 was apparently not ready for its first flight.
As always during first flights of a Japanese Lightnings, they were accompanied by an F-15 of the Gifu test-unit. Delivery to Misawa will normaly take place within two months.
Related to the F-35Bs the Japanese MoD is procuring is news on the modifications of the two Izumo class helicopter carriers. As reported earlier both ships will be retrofitted in order to accomodate F-35B operations. Janes reported that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has decided that both DDH-183 Izumo and DDH-184 Kaga will be modified without a ‘ski-jump’ and instead will receive a square shaped bow section, similar to the US Navy’s Wasp and America class ships. Work on the Izumo has already started.
Photos: 09-8719 by Shirako (Twitter @Shirako 32683881), 09-8720 by ロン (Twitter @fr5119) and 09-8722 by Durum (Twitter @durum_semolina)