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US approves sale of KC-46A aircraft to Japan
Ridzwan Rahmat, Singapore - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
22 September 2016


The US State Department has approved the sale of four KC-46A aerial refuelling aircraft, with related equipment and support, to Japan for an estimated cost of USD1.9 billion.

The sale was approved under the US Foreign Military Sales programme, and includes one additional spare Pratt &Whitney PW4062 turbofan engine. Each of the four airframes is powered by a pair of the same power plant.

Tokyo announced in October 2015 that it has selected the KC-46A platform to meet the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's (JASDF's) requirement for additional air-to-air refuelling and transportation needs.

According to a news release published by the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 21 September, each KC-46A will also be delivered installed with defensive systems that include Raytheon's ALR-69A radar warning receiver, and Northrop Grumman's AN/AAQ-24(V) large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) system.

"This proposed sale contributes to the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by meeting the legitimate security and defence needs of an ally and partner nation", said the DSCA in its release, adding that it considers Japan an important force for peace in the Asia-Pacific region.

Final assembly and delivery of the KC-46A platforms will take place at Boeing's production facility in Everett, Washington, and there are no known offset agreements that have been proposed in connection with the potential sale.

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Why Japan’s Soryu-Class Submarines Are So Good

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/why-japans-soryu-class-submarines-are-so-good-17898


The Second World War taught Japan valuable lessons. The first—don’t start wars—is an obvious conclusion that has been taken to heart. Other lessons were the result of the wartime Allied air and naval blockade of the country, which brought it to the brink of starvation. For Japan, poor in resources and arable land, to survive the next war, the air and sea lanes must stay open, and for that to happen, Japan must have top-flight air and naval forces.

Japan’s postwar submarine fleet is one of the best in the world. With an authorized total of twenty-two submarines, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s submarine fleet is also one of the largest. Japan builds its own submarines, with the work split between Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, both based in the port city of Kobe.

Japan takes an iterative approach to submarine construction, with a new submarine class introduced roughly every twenty years that builds upon previous ones. The current class, Soryu, builds upon the older Oyashio class, and the two classes form the entirety of the fleet. Each Soryu features a high degree of automation, reducing crew size to nine officers and fifty-six enlisted men—down ten personnel from the Harushio-class of the mid-1990s.

At 4,200 tons submerged, the nine Soryu-class submarines are the largest submarines built by postwar Japan. Each is 275 feet long and nearly twenty-eight feet wide. They have a range of 6,100 nautical miles and can reportedly dive to a depth of 2,132 feet, or two-fifths of a mile. The Soryu class features an X-shaped tail, reportedly for increased maneuverability in approaching the seabed. This maximizes the sub’s maneuvering room in shallow and littoral waters, particularly the straits in and around Japan that mark key invasion routes.

Each submarine has an optronic mast and ZPS-6F surface/low-level air search radar for detection of enemy ASW and maritime patrol craft. As submarines, however, the main sensor is sonar, represented by the Hughes/Oki ZQQ-7 sonar suite incorporating one bow-mounted sonar array and four flank sonar arrays. The subs also have a towed sonar array for rear acoustic detection.

The Soryu class has six 533-millimeter torpedo tubes mounted in the bow. Armament consists of Type 89 heavyweight homing torpedoes with a range of twenty-seven nautical miles and a maximum operating depth of 2,952 feet. The standard diameter torpedo tubes, along with strong American ties, mean the Soryu is also armed with UGM-84 submarine-launched Harpoon missiles. According to Combat Ships of the World, there are unconfirmed reports that the submarines carry a warshot of thirty weapons instead of the twenty of previous classes. They can also lay mines.

The Soryus have extensive active defense systems, in the form of the ZLR-3-6 electronic countermeasures suite and two three-inch underwater countermeasures launchers for launching acoustic devices. On the passive side, the entire submarine is covered in acoustic tiling to reduce both the signature of enemy active sonar signals and sounds from the inside the ship.

Propulsion is what the class is most famous for. Each can make thirteen knots surfaced and twenty knots submerged, powered by twelve Kawasaki 12V 25S diesel engines and one tandem Toshiba electric motor. For silent running, each submarine is equipped with four Stirling V4-275R Mk air independent propulsion systems licensed from Sweden that can power the submarine underwater for up to two weeks. There are also rumors that the last ships built will trade their AIP units for lithium-ion batteries.

The Soryu class isn’t perfect, though: one major criticism of the boats during the Australian submarine competition was their relatively short operating range. At 6,100 nautical miles, the Soryu’s range wasn’t an issue for their original mission: protecting the home waters of Japan.

Australian Soryus, however, would have had to travel 3,788 miles from their base at HMAS Stirling just to reach the vicinity of Taiwan, a voyage that would necessitate at least one refueling stop, and probably two. For the Australian bid, the Soryus were to be lengthened six to eight meters for improved crew habitability and increased range, but the need to modify the submarine for Australian requirements likely worked against Japan.

The combination of long-endurance stealth, sensors, and modern torpedoes and missiles makes the Soryu class an effective hunter-killer. It is, however, a specialized killer, as Australia came to realize, and would have been a fish out of water in Australian service.

As potent as the class is, expect a replacement class that builds upon this hunter-killer within the next decade. Japan is exploring unmanned underwater vehicles, and toward that end, underwater communications and underwater wireless power-transmission methods. What will Son of Soryu look like? Stay tuned.
 
October 13, 2016 7:35 am JST
Military planes loom large at Japan aerospace expo
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A life-size model of Lockheed Martin's F-35 is on display.

TOKYO -- Stealth jets, helicopters and other military aircraft have a conspicuous presence at a quadrennial aerospace show being held for the first time since the Japanese government eased a ban on weapons exports in 2014.

The Japan International Aerospace Exhibition, the nation's largest such event, kicked off here Wednesday. Domestic and foreign aircraft manufacturers are among the record 800 or so exhibitors.



Boeing is showcasing a 3-D simulator for its KC-46 air-refueling aircraft. American peer Lockheed Martin is displaying a life-size model of its F-35 stealth fighter jet outside.

Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries is exhibiting the BK117 D-2, a helicopter developed with European aircraft builder Airbus.

The show ends Saturday.

(Nikkei)

JAPAN AEROSPACE: Kawasaki sees unique niche for C-2 transport

  • 12 OCTOBER, 2016
  • BY: GREG WALDRON
  • TOKYO


Kawasaki Heavy Industries expects to deliver its second C-2 transport aircraft to the Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) in 2017.

The first aircraft is already in service with JASDF after being delivered in June, says a company representative.

He did not give firm numbers on the total to be delivered, but expects that Tokyo will need 20-40 examples of the airlifter to replace the nation’s fleet of C-1s. Production could ramp up to 3-4 aircraft annually, but this is contingent on Tokyo’s defence budget.

He adds that the C-2, which is powered by a pair of General Electric CF6 turbofans, has a unique niche in the transport mission. He says that the aircraft can fly 30t to just under 6,000km.

With Boeing’s cessation of the C-17 line, there is a dearth of strategic airlifters available at the high end. He adds that several countries have expressed interest in the C-2.

One market the Kawasaki is interested in is the replacement of legacy Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft.

“For countries that need to fly further with larger cargoes than with the C-130, the C-2 is a good option,” he says.

The airlifter can handle takeoffs and landings from short runways, but Tokyo did not require that it to be capable of use from rough fields, he says.

He adds that he company has suspended a proposal to develop a commercial variant of the aircraft. Kawasaki had hoped the commercial variant would find a market flying out-sized cargo.

After discussing the project with the air cargo industry, however, the company decided that the market, at present, makes such a variant cost prohibitive.

“We will continue to keep an eye on this market,” he says.
 
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN12H092

Members of the Japan Self-Defence Forces stand guard near Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) land-to-air missiles, deployed at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Japan, December 7, 2012. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
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A man looks at models of Lockheed Martin's PAC-3, PAC-3 MSE and THAAD missiles during Japan Aerospace 2016 air show in Tokyo, Japan, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
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Lockheed Martin's THAAD missile model is displayed during Japan Aerospace 2016 air show in Tokyo, Japan, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File photo
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Japan may accelerate around $1 billion of planned spending to upgrade its ballistic missile defenses in the wake of rocket tests suggesting North Korea is close to fielding a more potent medium-range missile, three government sources told Reuters.

The outlays, currently in a budget request for the year starting April, includes money to assess a new missile defense layer - either Lockheed Martin Corp's (LMT.N) Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system or Aegis Ashore, a land-based version of the ballistic missile defense system used by vessels in the Sea of Japan.

It also covers money to improve the range and accuracy of PAC-3 Patriot batteries, said the sources familiar with the proposal, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to talk to the media.

Any rollout of THAAD or Aegis Ashore could, however, still take years, the sources noted. Accelerated spending on Patriot missile batteries is also unlikely to deliver upgrades much quicker because of the limited capacity of the companies involved - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) and Raytheon Co (RTN.N) - to speed up already tight production schedules.

"It nonetheless has symbolic value," said one of the sources.

As much as 300 billion yen ($2.9 billion) of defense funding will be included in a third supplementary budget, the Sankei newspaper reported earlier. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government has yet to say whether it will ask lawmakers to approve additional outlays before deliberations begin on next year's budget.

Officials at Japan's Ministry of Defence were not immediately available to comment.

ARMS RACE

Pyongyang's apparent technological progress on missiles has been faster than anticipated, exposing Japan to a heightened threat, a senior Japanese military commander told Reuters earlier this month.

Tokyo and Pyongyang have been locked in an arms race for two decades after North Korea fired a missile over Japan in 1998.

North Korea has test fired at least 21 ballistic missiles and conducted two nuclear tests so far this year. On June 22, a medium range Musudan rocket reached an altitude of 1,000 km (620 miles) on a lofted trajectory, potentially beyond the range of Aegis destroyers the Sea of Japan that are armed with SM-3 missiles designed to hit warheads at the edge of space.


That leaves older PAC-3 Patriot missiles protecting major cities including Tokyo as a last line of defense. Their upgrade program will not deliver the first improved batteries until the 2020, in time for the Tokyo Olympics.

Warheads from missiles such as Pyongyang's Rodong, with an estimated range of 1,300 km (810 miles), travel at speeds of up to 3 km (2 miles) a second. Payloads on rockets like the Musudan, that can fly as far as 3,000 km (1,860 miles), plunge from space at least twice as fast.

Japan next year plans to acquire a more powerful version of the SM-3 it is jointly developing with the United States, dubbed the Block IIA. It has not, however, said when the first will be deployed.

(Editing by Lincoln Feast)
 
Japan moves to solidify security relations with British forces

Japan is moving toward forming a “quasi-alliance” with Britain to complement Tokyo’s security ties with Washington and prepare for the expanded overseas role of the Self-Defense Forces.
The Air SDF’s ongoing joint exercise with the Royal Air Force at the Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture is part of Japan’s efforts to strengthen its partnership with Britain.

Guardian North 16 is the ASDF's first exercise in Japan with the forces of a foreign country other than the United States.
The SDF has been participating in more joint exercises with other countries since the enactment of national security legislation in September 2015 that expands SDF activities abroad, including providing more support to the U.S. military. During the joint exercise with Britain, which was opened to reporters on Nov. 2, the ASDF’s F-2 multiple-role fighter jets and the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoon took off with a deafening roar.

Yoshiyuki Sugiyama, ASDF chief of staff, and Stephen Hillier, chief of the air staff of the Royal Air Force, took part in the exercise in the backseats of two F-2 fighters. The previous day, they participated in a forum in Tokyo sponsored by Britain’s Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. The session was titled “New Form of Partnership Between the U.K. and Japan: Achievements and Challenges.”

Tokyo and London are also working on a proposal to develop missiles for U.S. F-35 fighters that they have been introducing.
Moves to solidify ties between the SDF and British military are progressing in other branches, as well.

On Oct. 20, the Maritime SDF’s chief of staff met with the top uniformed commanders of the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy at the Pentagon, the first such meeting held. Also in October, the Ground SDF dispatched seven members to Britain for a joint drill conducted by the British Army and the U.S. Marines.

Japan has been making efforts to work closely with other allies of the United States, such as Australia and South Korea.
British, Australian and South Korean forces are taking part as observers in a Japan-U.S. exercise that started in late October in waters near Okinawa Prefecture and Guam.

The exercise, involving 36,000 members of the Japanese and U.S. forces, is being conducted to prepare for a possible contingency on the Korean Peninsula and other scenarios. A rear support operation by the SDF based on the national security legislation was expected to be held for the first time.

The mock operation reflects a landmark change in the SDF’s role. The laws allow the SDF to provide rear support to the forces of the United States, Australia and other countries around the world.
Japan and Britain are also negotiating the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which would allow the two countries' militaries to exchange support, including food, fuel and ammunition.

If the agreement is signed, it will be the third for Japan, following its pacts with the United States and Australia.
“The ACSA will be indispensable when we have to quickly think about logistical support during an emergency and beefing up joint exercises,” said a source close to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

(This article was written by Yusuke Fukui and Teruto Unuma.)

http://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/AJ201611030061.html
 
Russia and Japan haven’t been able to settle the issue of the Kuril Islands and sign a peace treaty since the end of World War II, resulting in a territorial dispute that’s been around for seven decades. But warm ties between the countries’ current leaders could lead to a breakthrough. Many are expecting progress to be made when Russian President Putin is in Japan for a state visit in December. Can the issue of the disputed islands be settled for good? And will Japan’s special relationship with America stand in the way of closer cooperation with Russia? Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is on SophieCo to discuss.


'It keeps happening,' rape survivor says as activists protest abuse by US military in Japan
Protests against American military presence in Japan continued on Saturday, as the country’s defense minister lodged a formal complaint over the latest case of alleged murder and rape of a young Japanese woman by a US military base employee.
Gen Nakatani visited the US Kadena Air Base on Saturday to formally protest the alleged crime to its commander Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson.

"I deliver a strong message of regret and at the same time make a protest,” he said as cited by the public broadcaster NHK.

Nicholson offered “heartfelt prayers and condolences” to the victim's family.

Kenneth Franklin Gadson, a 32-year-old former Marine, who goes by his Japanese wife's family name of Shinzato, was arrested by the Okinawan police on Thursday. He confessed to raping and killing Rina Shimabukuro, 20, who went missing in late April.

Japanese officials including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed outrage over the latest in a string of crimes, which has been poisoning US-Japanese military ties for decades. The country’s Foreign Ministry filed a formal complaint over the case as well.

The news of the arrest sparked protests across Japan, which continued on a smaller scale on Saturday. Critics of the deployment of US troops in Japan complain of the crimes committed by American personnel against local residents, environmental damage done by US bases and other negative sides. Okinawa Island hosts roughly half of all American troops in Japan, and sentiment against the arrangement are especially strong there.

“Vehicles with Y numbers should not be allowed to leave the base,” an activist told The Asahi Shimbun newspaper during a small Saturday protest in front of a US base. He was referring to license plates on vehicles used by US military personnel and civilian base staff.

Cases like Shimabukuro’s have been happening in Japan for over seven decades, but the governments of both countries and the media are not doing enough to address the problem, Catherine Jane Fisher, an activist supporting the victims of rape by US bases personnel in Japan, told RT.

“They need to stop trying to cover up the cases. We need to start from the beginning and educate people, including the police, medical professionals, judges, government officials. They said in conversations with me that they basically do not know how to handle military rape cases. And each time it happens, the US military and the Japanese government say ‘we will make sure this would never happen again’ but it just keeps on happening,” she said.

Fisher knows this from her own experience. The Australian national was raped by a US base employee in Japan in 2002 and it took her years to make the Japanese government even admit that the crime happened at all. After being awarded damages by a Japanese court under a civil lawsuit she spent a decade to track down her assailant and bring him to court, as officials in Japan and the US remain uncooperative.

The scandal comes just before a visit by US President Barack Obama, who is going to attend a G7 meeting hosted by Japan next week. He will also pay his respects at the Hiroshima memorial of American nuclear bombings of Japan during World War II, becoming the first sitting US president to do so.
Source: https://www.rt.com/news/343885-rape-us-japan-base/

Yankee rapists get out of Eurasia!
 
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Nov. 4, 2016) Crew members aboard the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) submarine JS Unryu (SS 502) prepare the submarine to moor following her arrival at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael H. Lee/Released)
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A Japanese Hyuga class sails in front of a US Nimitz-class carrier.
chinas-eastern-neighbor-japan-has-smaller-helicopter-destroyers-or-flat-deck-carriers-that-sport-helicopters-and-short-or-vertical-takeoff-aircraft-as-well-as-heavy-armaments-and-missiles.jpg


Japan has a trick up its sleeve. It recently launched a larger class of helicopter carrier, the Izumo class. Soon, these carriers will support the F-35B marine variant, which experts expect will provide unprecedented dominance in air and sea.
but-japan-has-a-trick-up-its-sleeve-it-recently-launched-a-larger-class-of-helicopter-carrier-the-izumo-class-soon-these-carriers-will-support-the-f-35b-marine-variant-which-experts-expect-will-provide-unprecedented-dominance-in-air-and-sea.jpg
 
By Ryan Maass | Dec. 2, 2016 at 11:40 AM
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Se...irst-F-35-joint-strike-fighter/4121480695126/

Japan-receives-its-first-F-35-joint-strike-fighter.jpg

Japan's F-35 is to remain at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where pilots will receive additional training. Photo by Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Se...irst-F-35-joint-strike-fighter/4121480695126/

LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Japan's Air Self-Defense Force received its first Lockheed Martin F-35A Joint Strike Fighter at Luke Air Force Base.

The delivery marks a milestone for Lockheed Martin's F-35 program, with Japan now one of three U.S. foreign military sales customers, along with Israel and South Korea. The first F-35A variant was presented during a ceremony on Sept. 23.

IHS Jane's reports the aircraft will join an international training fleet at Luke Air Force Base, where pilots from partner countries will receive instruction.

"Today is a great day for the US Air Force Reserve Command, Luke AFB, the 944th Fighter Wing, and the Japanese Air Self-Defence Forces," Col Kurt J Gallegos told Flight Global. "We have a great team of airmen who have worked hard to set up an outstanding training program and are ready to train our FMS counterparts."

The Japanese government is on course to purchase 28 F-35 joint strike fighters over the next five years, part of a plan to procure 42 of the planes in total. Six of the fighters are currently under contract.

The F-35 is Lockhead Martin's heavily promoted next-generation fighter jet. Japan plans to procure the planes to replace its fleet's aging Mitsubishi-McDonnell Douglas F-4J Kai aircraft, in service since the early 1970s.
 
thumbs_b_c_d1c94885e2c43a3591113e989a5cea15.jpg

http://aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/japan-considering-boosting-anti-missile-defenses/698745

After South Korea, Japan would be the second country in Northeast Asia to acquire the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system -- Washington agreed to begin deploying THAAD in South Korea this July.

Japan’s acquisition of the new missile defense system might fit well with President-elect Donald Trump’s position that allied nations should do more for their own self-defense.

Japan currently has two anti-missile systems.

The Standard Missile 3 is carried aboard Aegis destroyers in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. It is complemented by the Patriot Advance Capability (PAC)-3 surface-to-air missile on land.

The THAAD system would provide a third element to Japan’s missile defenses by introducing a system that is capable of disabling or shooting down ballistic missiles as they re-enter the earth’s atmosphere and elude the other two systems.12/4/16
 

The cargo ship will also deliver supplies to the International Space Station.

Japan has launched a cargo ship which will use a half mile- (700m)-long tether to remove some of the vast amount of debris from Earth's orbit.

The tether, made of aluminium strands and steel wire, is designed to slow the debris, pulling it out of orbit.

The innovative device was made with the help of a fishing net company.

There is estimated to be more than 100 million pieces of space junk in orbit, including discarded equipment from old satellites, tools and bits of rocket.

Many of these objects are moving at high velocity around the Earth at speeds of up to 28,000km/h (17,500mph) and could cause catastrophic accidents and damage to the world's orbital telecommunications network.


The junk has accumulated in the more than 50 years of human space exploration since the Soviet-launched Sputnik satellite in 1957.

Collisions between satellites and the testing of anti-satellite weapons have made the problem worse.

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More than 5,000 space missions have left Earth's orbit increasingly congested


_92904307_mediaitem92904306.jpg

The automated cargo ship - called Stork or Kounotori in Japanese

_92912187_b6912da6-06f4-49c8-a369-0c394dea5e00.jpg

Image copyright AP

The automated cargo ship - called Stork or Kounotori in Japanese - which is carrying the junk collector is bound for the International Space Station and blasted off from Tanegashima Space Center in the North Pacific.

Researchers say the lubricated, electro-dynamic tether will generate enough energy to change an object's orbit, pushing it towards the atmosphere where it will burn up.

A 106-year-old Japanese fishing net maker, Nitto Seimo Co, collaborated with Japan's space agency to develop the mesh material, Bloomberg reported last month.

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The experiment is part of an international initiative designed to make space safer for astronauts by getting rid of space junk.

It is hoped that it will also provide better protection for space stations and weather and communications satellites worth billions of dollars.

_92905534_gettyimages-626355590.jpg

The 106-year-old Japanese fishing net maker Nitto Seimo helped produce the tether.Gettyimages

The junk collector is the latest in a series of ideas put forward to tackle the problem, including harpooning, sweeping, lassoing and dragging debris into the atmosphere for burning.

Experts say there are big financial benefits in reducing the risk for the multi-billion dollar space industry, but they caution that the Japanese scheme will only work for bigger pieces of junk.


BBC
 
The Marine Corps' first operational F-35B Joint Strike Fighter squadron is en route to Japan, where it will prepare for a wide-ranging deployment in the Pacific.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 departed its former headquarters at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, on Monday en route to its new base at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, officials with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing announced Tuesday.

VMFA-121 received its first F-35B in November 2012, well ahead of the Marine Corps' announcement of initial operational capability for the program in July 2015. For the squadron, the F-35 replaces the F/A-18 Hornet. Ultimately, the service plans to replace all its Hornets, AV-8B Harriers and EA-6B Prowlers with Joint Strike Fighters.

"The Short Take-off Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft is a true force multiplier," Capt. Kurt Stahl, a spokesman for 3rd MAW, said in Tuesday's announcement. "The unique combination of stealth, cutting-edge radar and sensor technology, and electronic warfare systems bring all of the access and lethality capabilities of a fifth-generation fighter, a modern bomber, and an adverse-weather, all-threat environment air support platform."

Ahead of the move forward to Japan, VMFA-121 has participated in a number of exercises and proof-of-concept evolutions to assure its readiness for the new mission.

The squadron participated in Exercise Steel Knight over the Western U.S. and California coast in December 2015, conducting the F-35's first expeditionary test as it landed at an austere airfield at Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, and another landing pad at Red Beach.

More recently, the aircraft participated in the third and final shipboard developmental test evolution for the F-35 in October 2016, executing a proof of concept demonstration that tested the "envelope" of the conditions the F-35B could handle and flying with a range of weapons loadouts and the latest version of aircraft software, Block 3F.

"The final test period ensured the plane could operate in the most extreme at-sea conditions, with a range of weapons loadouts and with the newest software variant," Stahl said. "Data and lessons learned laid the groundwork for developing the concepts of operations for F-35B deployments aboard U.S. Navy amphibious carriers, the first two of which will take place in 2018."

The permanent move forward to Japan for VMFA-121 lays the groundwork for a series of upcoming deployments, beginning with the squadron's own deployment in the Pacific theater aboard the USS Wasp.

A second deployment the same year will see the Corps' second operational F-35 squadron, VMFA-211 aboard the USS Essex -- a pump that will likely see the aircraft's first operations in the Middle East.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/01/10/first-marine-corps-f35-squadron-deploys-japan.html
 

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