Izumo-class helicopter carrier

The Izumo-class destroyers (いずも型護衛艦, Izumo-gata-goei-kan) are multi-role destroyers in service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The ships are de facto helicopter carriers and will serve as de facto aircraft carriers after the ongoing modifications. In 2025, the ships were formally reclassified as "aircraft-carrying multi-role escort ships" (CVM). The new designation will be adopted after the modification works are completed.
As of October 28, 2024, under a revised Ministry of Defense ordinance, it was indicated that the official classification of these ships may be changed from DDH (ヘリコプター搭載護衛艦 (herikoputā tōsai goei-kan, Helicopter carrying escort ship)) to CVM (航空機搭載多機能護衛艦 (kōkūki tōsai ta kinō goei-kan, Aircraft-carrying multi-role escort ship)). Previously, the Izumo-class vessels had been officially classified as DDH (helicopter-carrying destroyer), although some publications such as Jane's Fighting Ships had already referred to them more generally as "helicopter carriers". However, alongside the Aegis System Equipped Vessels, they are considered cruisers by the JMSDF.
The ships of this class are currently the largest surface combatants of the JMSDF, taking over...