Following the war game, the British aircraft carrier ‚Prince of Wales‘ arrived at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, near Tokyo.
Newly released photos show the United States and its NATO and Indo-Pacific allies staging a show of force in the Western Pacific with advanced F-35 stealth aircraft and their carriers.
As part of the drill, U.S. and British F-35B fighter jets conducted flight operations from the Japanese aircraft carrier JS Kaga, which has yet to be equipped with F-35B jets of its own.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.Why It Matters
The allied F-35 carrier war game comes after China—which operates the largest navy in the world by hull count—deployed two aircraft carriers in June on the eastern side of a U.S. defensive island chain formed by Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines in the Western Pacific.
China’s increasing coast guard patrols near the disputed, Tokyo-administered Senkaku Islands, and continued threats toward neighboring Taiwan have prompted Japan cooperate more closely with its defense treaty partner, the U.S.What To Know
The F-35 is a family of fighter aircraft operated by U.S. and allied forces. It comes in three variants, including the B model—designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings from ships without full-length flight decks—and the C model, built for aircraft-carrier operations.
Photos released by the United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group on Saturday show that British forces had their first F-35B jet land on the Kaga. This is one of two helicopter carriers being converted into aircraft carriers amid China’s threat to Japan’s outlying islands.
