Langley served as a test center – it was here that the first arresting cables, catapults and air traffic control systems were developed, which are part of the operations on the Abraham Lincoln and Gerald R. Ford ships in an improved form to this day.
Bombs, laser and huge warehouses with thousands of tons of ammunition
The strength of US aircraft carriers such as USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln lies in their ability to turn the ocean into a springboard for absolute air supremacy.
The US Navy, with its approximately 2,600 aircraft, is the fourth largest air force in the world. But if we add to them the machines that are also used by the US Marines, since both fall under the navy in the structure of the Ministry of Defense, we reach a number exceeding 3,700 machines. And with that, the US Navy ranks second worldwide behind the US Air Force.
A Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has a capacity of approximately 1,950 to 2,000 tons of aerial ammunition in its protected stores.
In his analysis, the American writes, among other things, that this arsenal includes not only bombs in the classical sense of the word, but the entire range of guided missiles. During intensive operations in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom), aircraft from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln dropped more than 725 tons of ammunition during one deployment.
Thanks to its carrier air wing (Carrier Air Wing) and accompanying vessels, an aircraft carrier-led strike group can eliminate both land and sea targets.
Using precision-guided JDAM bombs and laser-guided missiles, it can destroy enemy infrastructure, command centers, ballistic missile depots and air defense systems deep inland, as their range can be up to 1,200 kilometers.
Against frigates or fast boats, such as those used by the Yemeni rebels, it uses F/A-18 fighters equipped with Harpoon missiles or the latest LRASM long-range anti-ship missiles.
In naval aviation, a key indicator of power is the number of sorties a ship is able to generate in a 24-hour period. It is in this parameter that the dominance of the USA is manifested.
The ships Abraham Lincoln and Gerald R. Ford can together generate approximately 280 launches per day in normal operating mode. In the case of maximum deployment, they can reach the limit of approximately 600 combat sorties in twenty-four hours.
Today, there are approximately 75 aircraft and helicopters on each of them.
The weapon that changed modern warfare
Years of experience and testing gave the United States an advantage in the Pacific War as well. It was on this battlefield that US aircraft carriers played an absolutely crucial role during World War II. Originally support vessels, they became the main striking force of the navy. Their ability to transmit air power hundreds of kilometers away allowed the Americans to gain control over the vast waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Aircraft carriers were the most important element in all major battles. The 1942 Battle of Midway, often considered a turning point, was a battle between fleets of aircraft carriers where the US Air Force destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers.
However, American aircraft carriers also provided crucial air support for the landing of ground troops, bombarded enemy positions before, during and after the landing of troops, and protected invasion fleets.
The nuclear revolution: from oil to the atom
Before the advent of nuclear power, all US aircraft carriers were powered by conventional steam turbines burning fuel oil, which is, simply put, very heavy fuel oil.
The famous WWII Essex or Midway class ships had to have huge fuel tanks not only for their planes but also for their own engines.
The turning point occurred in 1961, when the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was commissioned and subsequently put into service on November 25. It was the famous Enterprise, which you may also know from the movie Top Gun.
In 1964, she demonstrated her power in the Sea Orbit operation, when, together with two other nuclear ships, she circumnavigated the world without a single refueling or supply in 65 days.
Modern aircraft carriers, such as those deployed these days in the Middle East and near Iran, have two reactors and can theoretically stay on the water for up to 25 years without major maintenance.
Currently, the United States has exactly 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in active service. This number is not accidental – the US law passed by Congress directly obliges the Navy to maintain a fleet of at least eleven aircraft carriers in order to ensure the ability to respond to multiple global crises at the same time.
In practice, this means that three to five vessels are located in different parts of the world and the rest undergo regular maintenance, crew changes and necessary adjustments in ports.
The story that began to be written 104 years ago as an experiment with a converted coal-fired ship is now being written by nuclear colossuses in the Arabian Sea. It is the fleet of 11 aircraft carriers that guarantees the United States such a level of strategic freedom, thanks to which they can exert their influence at any moment and in any place on the planet.
It is the power that opens the door for the US to any solution to global crises. From deterrence to a direct hit, which we witnessed just these days.
