Free Republic

Japan is back in the business of operating a fixed-wing aircraft carrier, with the first embarkation of short takeoff and vertical-landing F-35B stealth jets from the U.S. Marine Corps on the modified helicopter carrier Izumo. It is the first instance of the country operating fixed-wing aircraft from ships since the end of World War II. The trials are set to kickstart a new era for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, or JMSDF, which has long harbored ambitions to adapt its two 24,000-ton Izumo class helicopter carriers for fixed-wing operations. The Japanese Ministry of Defense announced today that the Marine Corps...

Boeing's defense arm is set to unveil a mysterious new plane - and says it will 'change future air power' The aerospace giant's defense arm teased the new craft, covered in a black cloth. It is believed to be a radical new craft using electric 'hairdryer' to allow it to land and take off vertically. Boeing will unveil their mystery aircraft on December 19th.

Taiwan hopes to maintain air operations in the event of a military conflict with China by using vertical and short take-off and landing aircraft. VSTOL fighters would allow Taiwan to maintain fighter operations should Chinese missiles damage the island's military runways, says US-based think-tank the Project 2049 Institute in a report entitled Evolving Aerospace Trends in the Asia Pacific Region. Former US deputy assistant secretary of state Randall Schriver heads the institute. While at the State Department, Schriver was responsible for issues relating to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The report quotes former Taiwanese air force commander Liu Guili as...