By The arms race in Northeast Asia continues:
Japan plans to build a 19,500-ton aircraft carrier capable of housing helicopters after China launched its first own aircraft carrier, Chinese media reported on Wednesday. Japan already has two helicopter carriers — the Hyuga deployed in March 2009 and the Ise deployed in March 2011 — but the planned new vessel will be bigger.
The 22DDH is scheduled for deployment in 2015. It will be 248 m long and cost around US$1.04 billion. It is 30 percent bigger than the Ise and can carry 14 helicopters. The Ise measures 197 m, has a displacement of 13,500 tons and can carry 11 helicopters.
Although dwarfed by China’s aircraft carrier, which is 320 m long and can carry 50 fighter jets, the Japanese vessel will be equipped with the latest U.S. weapons systems to maximize its capability. It will be equipped with the Raytheon air and missile defense system, which has so far only been installed on U.S. vessels, and 11 missile launchers.
Japan had several aircraft carriers during World War II, but since its defeat it has focused on developing helicopter carriers, which are deemed purely defensive. It appears to be bolstering defenses to counter China’s increasing submarine warfare capabilities. The new carrier will house mainly helicopters designed for anti-submarine warfare operations. [Chosun Ilbo]
10:52 pm on September 18th, 2011 1
Umm huh, and when do we find out those helicopters really transform into Gundams with beam weapons.
1:06 am on September 19th, 2011 2
Tora! Tora! Tora!
/oblig
9:12 pm on September 19th, 2011 3
I’m telling you, that whole ship will fly up and transform into some sort of super robot that shoots out mini-robots.
9:35 pm on September 19th, 2011 4
Notice how they have cleverly hidden the Wave Motion Gun…
10:00 pm on September 26th, 2011 5
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the United States should reconsider the latest arms sale to Taiwan. Last week, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun characterized the sale as “wrong-doing”. CNN summarizes the deal like this: “The $5.3 billion arms package includes upgrades to Taiwan’s F-16 fighter fleet, a five-year extension of F-16 pilot training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and spare parts for the upkeep of three different planes currently in use by the Taiwanese, according to the State Department. The deal is part of the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.” Here’s the link.
10:41 pm on September 26th, 2011 6
Umm … wrong thread?
This is about Japan’s military, or whatever they call it.
China’s been bullying all the nations in the region, even long before that deal your talking about.