British F-35B Landed on Japanese Aircraft Carrier JS Kaga for the First Time in History

The British short takeoff and vertical landing fighter F-35B has made the first ever landing on the Japanese aircraft carrier JS Kaga.

This was reported by the press service of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The landing took place as part of the joint Operation Highmast involving aircraft carriers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, during which they practiced landing aircraft on allied ships.

The landing was carried out by a British F-35B ZM161 from the No. 617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Along with it, an F-35B fighter jet from the U.S. Marine Corps also landed on the deck of the Japanese ship.

British jet lands on Japanese warship for the first timehttps://t.co/nXp3Q8cPGf#CSG25 pic.twitter.com/jLWG0YPZBT

— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) August 12, 2025

In addition to the practical use of the ship as a naval airfield, the exercises allowed Japanese maintenance personnel to acquire the necessary skills to support and operate aircraft on the deck of the aircraft carrier.

It is worth noting that on August 7, 2025, the first three F-35B fighters for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force arrived at the Nyutabaru Air Base. Initially, four aircraft were planned to arrive, but due to technical problems with the board number 59-8204, its flight to Japan was postponed.

It is expected that the Japanese F-35Bs will soon be involved in new exercises with the JS Kaga helicopter carrier, which is currently the only warship in the Japanese fleet with a modernized and expanded deck.

As a reminder, according to the Chief of Staff for the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the JS Izuno, assigned to the Fleet Activities Yokosuka base, entered the dock of the JMU shipyard in Yokohama on November 1, 2024 for the second stage of modernization.

The 2024 budget provides for JPY 409 billion for hull reconstruction and JPY 6 billion for the installation of a new landing navigation system.

The Izumo modernization is scheduled to be completed in 2027. Until then, the ship will remain at the dock, after which it will take part in both national and international crew and pilot training exercises.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the JS Kaga helicopter carrier of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force had completed integration tests with the F-35 short takeoff and vertical landing fighter.

The tests took place near San Diego, where JS Kaga arrived on October 5, 2024. And until October 20, it was in preparation for these important tests for the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.

According to the representatives of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the first landing of F-35B on the deck of the JS Kaga helicopter carrier took place on October 20 at about 15:00 local time. Everything went well.