12/20/2023 0 Comments Cost of aircraft carrier battle groupThe new strategy caused an increase, from 12 to 15, of the number of deployable groups built around big-deck carriers. The idea was that, in a war, the Soviet fleet would be pinned down defending its own shores and sea approaches and thus unable to make trouble for US warships in the open ocean, the control of which would be vital to the resupply of allies in Europe and East Asia. The Navy’s Maritime Strategy, formally introduced in the early 1980s, called for carriers to strike an assertive, forward-based stance in key waters around the globe, where they would be poised to go immediately on the offensive against Soviet targets and attack Soviet warships. Getting to the heart of what carriers can actually do requires an honest assessment of their strengths and weaknesses as airpower assets in joint operations. Even so, the 1990s have shown that the big-deck carrier is a specialized airpower asset, not a self-sufficient substitute for land-based airpower. In the past decade, carrier air wings have become more capable, fueling higher demand for carriers in joint operations. Carrier proponents sometimes trash Air Force airpower. Senior officers are guarded in their remarks, but the defense press often picks up and amplifies backstage debates on issues such as the relative effectiveness of carriers and bombers, forward presence, life cycle costs, and the relative merits of new fighter aircraft. The carrier myth has flourished in budget-conscious Washington. This claim gives rise to the notion that advanced stealth aircraft might not be necessary, because the carriers manage to get by without them. In its most extreme form, the myth contains a declaration that aircraft carriers can operate effectively without access to land bases, carry out sustained strikes against targets several hundred miles inland, and generate up to four sorties per strike aircraft per day if the warship and its air wing shift into a surge mode. In official statements, the Navy claims that “the carrier battle group, operating in international waters, does not need the permission of host countries for landing or overflight rights.” They can operate independently and present “a unique range of options” to the President, the service adds. Nathman, commander of Task Force 50 aboard USS Nimitz in the Gulf, actually declared, “I attribute the cessation of Iraqi no-fly zone violations to our presence” in the area. Carrier effectiveness, though significant, has been inflated to mythic proportions.ĭramatic film footage of carrier-based aircraft being catapulted into the skies frequently dominates televised coverage of periodic US crises with Iraq, even though that image does not reflect actual composition of the joint US force in the region. The carriers have proven their value, but the claims of some carrier proponents frequently defy reality. Rather, observed British defense analyst Lawrence Freedman, the carrier has become “most valuable” as a “mobile air base.” Since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the Navy has put its air wings through a major transformation, retiring older, hard-to-maintain aircraft such as the A-6 Intruder and modernizing its F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18C Hornets to carry precision munitions. Cohen.įrom an operational perspective, the big-deck aircraft carrier no longer functions mainly as guardian of the high seas. “If you don’t have that forward deployed presence, you have less of a voice, less of an influence,” observed Defense Secretary William S. Each of the five destroyers is equipped with 90-96 VLS silos, for a total of 468 silos spread out among the destroyers.In the 1990s, American aircraft carriers have been busier than ever, engaging mostly in “presence” operations and responses to local crises and flare-ups. USS Rafael Peralta is one of the newest ships in the fleet. USS Russell and USS Hamilton are the oldest ships and were built at a time when the Burke-class ships did not have hangars to embark helicopters. The five destroyers are all Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers: USS Pinckney, USS Russell, USS Paul Hamilton, USS Kidd, and USS Rafael Peralta. Each VLS is an armored silo capable of carrying SM-2, SM-6, and ESSM air defense missiles, Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, and anti-submarine rocket torpedoes. Bunker Hill is equipped with the Aegis Combat System, including the SPY-1 air defense radar, and is equipped with 122 vertical launch systems. The cruiser is USS Bunker Hill, the oldest of the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group is unusual because of the large number of escorts. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dylan Lavin Front to back: USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Pickney, USS Paul Hamilton, USS Russell, USS Kidd, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Bunker Hill.
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