The Royal Navy carried out combined F-35 operations with Japan as part of Operation Highmast.
A stunning photograph depicting a UK F-35B Lightning II and a US F/A-18E Super Hornet flying in close formation over the Pacific highlights the significance of Operation Highmast. As part of the joint military exercise, American, British, and Japanese forces operate collaboratively to demonstrate the growing strategic and operational alignment between the three nations. Led by the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, the wide-scale drills also serve to symbolize the participants’ commitment to carrying out NATO defense objectives. Aircraft carriers, destroyers, and a variety of aircraft will participate in the ongoing joint operation. The presence of the UK’s F-35B contingent, coupled with the US Navy’s own fleet of Super Hornets, particularly reflects the collaborative power projection capabilities of both countries.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales carried out combined F-35 operations with Japan’s JS Kaga warship as part of Operation Highmast. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) received the first three of its procured F-35B fighters this month. In total, Tokyo is set to procure 42 F-35s down the line. The collaborative Lightning II operations between Japan and the UK will help prepare the former for the F-35B’s eventual introduction once these delivered jets officially enter service with the JMSDF. “Both nations operate the same short take-off/vertical landing version of the stealth jet, the B variant, although Japan has not flown the fifth-generation strike fighter for quite as long as the UK,” said the Royal Navy in a press release. “The two allies will work together at sea for a week, before the UK task group splits: some will head to South Korea, others, including HMS Prince of Wales, will make for Japan.”
The F-35B
The F-35 Lightning II platform is widely considered to be the most advanced fifth-generation jet of its kind in service today. From stealth and avionics to electronic warfare and data modularity, the Lockheed Martin-produced jet series is virtually unparalleled in the skies. Unlike its F-35A and F-35C sister variants, the F-35B uniquely features a short take-off vertical landing capability (STOVL). In fact, this iteration is the only supersonic stealth aircraft in service today with STOVL functions. Considering the size of flight decks, the Bravo’s ability to land and take off in very short distances makes it an important player for the navies it flies for. Today, this variant is only flown by the United States, the UK, Italy, and Japan.
When Did Japan Procure the Lightning II?
Japan’s initial introduction to the STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter occurred back in 2024, when an F-35B from the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron landed on the JS Kaga warship. Tokyo initially approved the purchase of 42 F-35Bs in 2018, in a deal which also included 105 F-35A variants. So far, three of these F-35Bs have arrived at the Nyutabaru Air Base. However, a fourth aircraft, which was also supposed to deliver this week, remains at manufacturer Lockheed Martin’s facility in America.
About the author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
Image: DVIDS.
