The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) commissioned the nearly 650-foot-long helicopter destroyer Hyuga (DDH-181) on March 18. A destroyer in name only, the Hyuga is twice the size of the destroyer that it is replacing — and is the largest JMSDF fighting ship since the force was established after World War II. With a flight deck running the length of the ship, it has potential to be much more than a mere destroyer. Remarkably similar to the South Korean Dokdo (LPH-6111) design, the two vessels differ in length by less than 10 feet. (The South Korean vessel was commissioned in 2007 and is named after an island both Seoul and Tokyo claim as their own.) The South Korean Dokdo (LPH-6111) These designs are significant in and of themselves. Both represent a significant increase in each navy's capability to project and sustain force further afield, and are the first major platforms in an East Asian arms race to deploy amphibious warfare vessels. Both are touted for their utility in humanitarian operations and disaster relief. The JMSDF also classifies the Hyuga design for anti-submarine warfare and logistical support, while the Dokdo has additional utility in amphibious warfare operations by virtue of its well deck capable of embarking and deploying landing craft. As large helicopter carriers, both represent an increased capability to deploy a variety of rotary-wing aircraft at great distance from home waters. These ships are quite versatile, and are likely to see a wide spectrum of operations in their service lives. (click image to enlarge) But while both countries will be carefully eying one another and their disputed territories, both Seoul and Japan have their sights set further afield. Both the Hyuga (with at least one additional ship of the class forthcoming) and the Dokdo (at least two more ships forthcoming), are about projecting influence and military force beyond the crowded waters of the Sea of Japan, the Korea Strait and the Yellow and East China Seas. They will be used in the wider region — and beyond — to protect their home governments' interests and safeguard global lines of supply. The JMSDF is preparing to dispatch a naval vessel to participate in U.N.-authorized counterpiracy operations off the coast of Somalia. Meanwhile, the South Korean navy already has dispatched a destroyer to do the same. Both deployments are emblematic of shifts in strategic thinking across the region. Both vessels are also quite similar in terms of length and displacement to the Invincible-class short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) carriers of the Royal Navy. This has raised eyebrows in terms of their potential for fixed-wing STOVL flight operations (including STRATFOR's in 2003). British carriers, along with most other operators of the Harrier STOVL fighter jet, use a bow-mounted ski-jump ramp to help launch aircraft. Aircraft begin their take off runs at the aft end of the ship, accelerating down the length of the flight deck. The bow ramp allows the Harrier to take off conventionally in a shorter distance. (U.S. Marine aviators launch without one from the significantly longer decks of U.S. Navy ships like the USS Wasp (LHD-1).) Such a capability would allow Seoul and Tokyo to deploy small squadrons of STOVL fighter aircraft. While the STOVL requirement traditionally has imposed major limitations in comparison to conventional fighter aircraft (the intention of the F-35B design is to minimize those limitations, though it is still in testing), this is an important capability for military operations far afield. Take the example of the United Kingdom in the Falkland Islands War: It is unlikely the British could have retaken the islands without the capabilities afforded by their Harriers. Neither the JMSDF nor the South Korean ship has a ski-jump ramp, and it is unclear that any structural provisions were made in either design for fitting one later on. Nor does either country operate the Harrier, or have any formal plans to buy the F-35B Lightning II, the STOVL-capable variant of the Joint Strike Fighter program slated to replace the Harrier in both U.S. and British service. Indeed, even if either did, there is a substantial learning curve for both aviators and ship crews in becoming proficient in fixed-wing STOVL flight operations. In short, having a ship with a sufficient flight deck and a bow-mounted ski-jump ramp is only half the battle in terms of operationalizing STOVL with the navy, and it is by far the easier half of the battle. The conversion from conventional to vertical flight is a difficult and dangerous phase of flight even when landing on a large, fixed runway, to say nothing of doing so at sea. But it is a significant step nonetheless, and more evidence of the longer-range naval ambitions of Seoul and Tokyo.