South Korea's First Aircraft Carrier Will Sail Into Contested Waters
Izumo-class helicopter carriers to embark F-35B stealth fighters. South Korea is getting an aircraft carrier. The vessel could help Seoul’s navy to compete with its main rivals, the Chinese and Japanese fleets. The South Korean joint chiefs of staff decided on July 12, 2019 to acquire an assault ship capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft, Defense News reported. The vessel presumably would embark vertical-landing F-35B stealth fighters. Seoul for years has mulled a purchase of F-35Bs to complement the country’s land-based F-35As. “The plan of building the LPH-II ship has been include...