TOKYO, July 16. /TASS/. The US is deploying its multirole carrier-based F-35C Lightning II fighter jets in Japan to counter China’s People’s Liberation Army in the region, Japan’s Nikkei Asia reports.

According to the media outlet, the deployment of F-35C jets to the region is expected to ensure the US Navy’s tactical advantage over China’s advanced fighter jets and also reduce the threat from Chinese anti-ship missiles in case of a potential conflict between the US and China. According to expert Masashi Murano, Washington’s decision to deploy its advanced jets to Japan makes it clear that the Americans now need more powerful weapons to contain their rivals in the Pacific.

On July 15, the US Navy announced the deployment of F-35C Lightning II fighter jets and CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft to Iwakuni Base in Japan. The aircraft will join the air group of the USS George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which will arrive in Japan before the end of the year to replace the USS Ronald Reagan as the forward-deployed Naval Forces-Japan aircraft carrier. A US Navy spokesperson told Nikkei Asia that there are currently F-35C squadrons on the USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln carriers, whose area of responsibility includes the Asia-Pacific region.

The F-35 is a fifth-generation supersonic fighter, and comes in three primary models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B, and the carrier-based F-35C. The aircraft is capable of performing a wide range of missions due to its advanced sensors and communication systems, as well as of carrying conventional and nuclear weapons. In addition, the manufacturer says that the jet is almost impossible to track with radar. This year, Israel and Poland made deals to purchase F-35 fighters from the US, and Greece plans to do the same in the near future.