Japanese aircraft carrier gets JPALS landing support system
A USMC F-35B lands on JS Izumo. (Photo: US DoD)
JS Izumo will be the first Japanese ship to deploy the JPALS system in 2024.
In December, the USN, in partnership with Japan, awarded an $8.6 million FMS to Raytheon to provide a Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) unit.
PMA-213 JPALS deputy programme manager (DPM) Cdr Charles Steele said: ‘The urgency with which this contract was completed is a testament to our commitment to closely collaborate with our JMSDF partners, which is critical to the 2022 National Defense Strategy call to bolster robust deterrence in the INDO-PACOM [Indo-Pacific Command].’
JPALS is a three-component system comprising a deck element located on a ship, a military GPS constellation and hardware on board the aircraft itself. The F-35 is fitted with JPALS by default.
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USMC F-35Bs fly from Japan’s JS Izumo
The system communicates data from the ship, including its range and six degrees of freedom and data from the aircraft and satellite to help guide landings onto a specific spot with a degree of accuracy of around 20cm.
JPALS will help Japanese pilots land their F-35Bs on the Izumo-class ships, which are being converted to operate the short take-off vertical landing fighter.
Under the contract, JPALS will be deployed on JS Izumo in 2024. The Japanese carrier will join US, UK and Italian ships in fielding the system.
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