PUBLISHED on August 12, 2025, 7:45 PM EDT – Key Points and Summary – In a significant display of allied sea power, a British F-35B stealth fighter has landed on the Japanese carrier JS Kaga for the first time.
-The historic event took place during “Operation Highmast,” a nine-day multinational exercise in the Philippine Sea involving four aircraft carriers from the U.S., UK, and Japan.
-This major interoperability drill, conducted amid rising tensions with China, demonstrates the growing military cooperation between NATO and Indo-Pacific partners.
-It also marks a critical step for Japan as it brings its newly acquired F-35B fleet and upgraded light aircraft carriers into operational readiness.
British F-35B Lands on Japanese Carrier for First Time In Historic Exercise
A British F-35B has landed on a Japanese aircraft carrier for the first time, marking a new level of interoperability between the British Royal Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) amid mounting tensions with China.
The historic landing took place aboard JS Kaga during a nine-day multinational exercise in the northern Philippine Sea, part of Operation Highmast – the United Kingdom’s 2025 global carrier strike group deployment, led by HMS Prince of Wales and involving multinational naval and air forces in a series of exercises stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific.
The drills brought together four carrier strike groups: Kaga, HMS Prince of Wales, USS George Washington, and USS America – alongside warships from Norway, Spain, and Australia.
While Kaga, Prince of Wales, and America all operated the short-takeoff, vertical-landing F-35B, USS George Washington brought the carrier-based F-35C, giving the exercise the full range of the stealth fighter’s naval variants.
Training included anti-submarine warfare, coordinated air defense, and at-sea ship resupplying and refueling, ensuring allied forces are prepared to work closely together and share resources in the event of a combat deployment.
Japan only received its first F-35Bs earlier this month, the first of a planned fleet of 42 to be deployed from Kaga and its sister ship, Izumo.
Both are undergoing major upgrades from helicopter destroyers to fully capable light aircraft carriers. Until Japan develops more of its own carrier aviation expertise and experience, however, these joint operations with allies like the U.S. and U.K. are necessary for building skills and ensuring readiness.
The exercise also featured U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs and MV-22 Ospreys operating from allied ships, while Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots trained alongside Japanese aviators in strike missions and air combat maneuvers.
Following the drills, HMS Prince of Wales and escorts HMS Dauntless and HNoMS Roald Amundsen, arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base for a three-week visit, hosting defense and industry events ahead of a Tokyo port call.
The Aircraft and Why They Matter
The F-35B, used by the U.K., U.S. Marine Corps, Italy, and now Japan, is a short-takeoff, vertical-landing variant designed for carriers without catapult launch technology or arrestor wires. The design makes it ideal for operating from smaller ships, offering greater flexibility in the Pacific, where Chinese long-range missiles could pose a threat to military bases.
The U.S. Navy’s F-35C, meanwhile, is built for catapult-equipped carriers like USS George Washington, features larger wings, and has a longer range.
The first-ever British F-35B flight from a Japanese carrier proved that British, American, and Japanese crews are capable of integrating and operating smoothly during demanding operations – a skill that could prove vital as Japan begins to respond to China’s expanding military presence.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
Military Matters
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intp1
August 13, 2025 at 5:57 am
I hate to spoil the PR puff piece but landing on a strange carrier would be pretty impressive if a British F-35B didnt have to make an emergency landing at Kagoshima international airport, which was the second time in this sothEast Asian deployment.
The F-35 is slow, short range, low ceiling, low weapon payload, low availability, with a US controlled just not in time parts distribution (kill switch) system. Its one decent attribute is stealth but that advantage is well on its way to being eroded as new detection systems evolve. F-35s BTW cant carry short range, air2air missiles to protect itself without pylons thereby losing its low radar X-section.
Not only that, the F-35 B is the worst of the three versions. Its range is even shorter, its more complicated with the extra vertical fan engine so it is even less available and it doesn’t even fly supersonic due to its increased weight and heat dissipation issues. I repeat, it cant sustain even Mach 1. Good that it can land on any passing vessel; useful when it either runs out of combat range or breaks down.