In emergencies, many but not all ships preparing for patrol can be surged early and ships returning can delay their returns.
So, at any one given time, four out of 11 carriers might be available for operations, and up to five or six in emergencies. What exacerbated the recent pace of operations? The addition of USS Ford would only partially fix the problem. Adding a 12th carrier to the Pacific Fleet would help alleviate the stress on the entire fleet.
Could the Navy get by on 10 or 11 carriers? Yes— if it chose to substitute other ships for carriers, or reduce the missions requiring a carrier. The Zumwalt -class destroyers or future versions of the Virginia -class submarines, equipped with hypersonic and anti-ship missiles, could substitute the firepower of a carrier in a pinch. But what kind of signal would that send to potential adversaries? The Navy needs more carriers, more carrier substitutes, or fewer missions.
There are two active classes of nuclear-powered Navy aircraft carriers: the legacy Nimitz class, and the new Ford class. In the Ford class, the lead ship, Gerald R. Ford, was commissioned in July At least four more ships are planned in the class: the John F. Kennedy, set for commissioning in ; the Enterprise; the Doris Miller; and another carrier, yet to be named. The new aircraft carriers are set to replace ships in the Nimitz class as they retire; the Navy plans to have a total of 12 carriers in service in , when it hopes to achieve its fleet of The Navy's amphibious ships, sometimes called miniature carriers, are used to deploy Marines and sailors forward around the world for training, combat and humanitarian missions.
The classes of amphibious ships include the following:. These ships have been in commission since and are capable of transporting a full 2,strong Marine Expeditionary Unit, with fighter jets, helicopters and combat vehicles. The ships are feet in length and can carry up to three dozen aircraft on the flight deck in a mix of fixed-wing and rotorcraft platforms.
They also feature a well deck from which amphibious craft and connectors can land and launch. Only one of the original eight ships of the class is out of service: the Bonhomme Richard, which was severely damaged in a catastrophic fire in July and is designated for decommissioning in The first of this newest class of amphib was commissioned in The America class features more flight deck space for aircraft, but does not have a well deck like the other amphibious assault ships.
This class of ships has been in commission since Smaller than amphibious assault ships, amphibious transport docks feature a short flight deck at the back with room for two V Ospreys to launch or land.
They're designed to be highly networked and adaptable to emerging platforms and military operations. With a length of feet, the ships carry a crew of nearly sailors and can support a Marine landing force of nearly To date, 11 ships have been built in the class. The Whidbey Island class has been in service since , and features a small flight deck for Ospreys or helicopters and a large well deck for amphibious landing craft and connectors.
The America class is optimized toward carrying Marine aviation units and can carry a few more Ospreys. In the near future, the FB Joint Strike Fighter will replace the Harriers on a basis, and the America class will be capable of supporting up to 20 FBs at once. Ford may soon come to an end.
China has two aircraft carriers on deck. The first, the Liaoning , entered service in In , a Chinese business man purchased the carrier from the Ukrainian government and announced he was going the ship into a floating casino.
Finally, after significant renovation, the Liaoning commissioned. So far, the vessel has struggled in the fight against marauding jellyfish. After nearly two years of sea trials, the vessel entered active service. It's been a busy year for the Shandong , which boasts almost 50, tons of displacement and is powered by a conventional propulsion system. Both the Liaoning and the Shandong have a key special feature: a ski-jump takeoff ramp designed to help fighter jets safely launch.
A third carrier, completely different in design from the PLAN's first two carriers, is currently under development. A rumored fourth carrier , this time powered by nuclear propulsion, may also be in the works. Both of these carriers are reportedly much larger than China's first two and will be equipped with an electromagnetic catapult designed to fling fighter jets into the air.
None of these vessels, it seems, will be able to fly. Russia has one aircraft carrier on active duty: the Admiral Kuznetsov. The carrier was built in what is now Ukraine, and after an extensive construction period complicated by the breakup of the Soviet Union, the ship was put into Russian service in Technically speaking, Kuznetsov is a sister ship of the Chinese carrier Liaoning. Just over 1, feet long, Kuznetsov displaces 65, tons fully loaded.
Unlike other aircraft carriers, Kutznetsov also packs a punch in the form of 12 SS-N Shipwreck supersonic anti-ship missiles and carries a naval version of the Tor surface-to-air missile for self-defense. Admiral Kuznetsov isn't particularly mechanically reliable, having broken down at sea in Like most large Russian Navy ships, the carrier is accompanied by an oceangoing tug whenever it conducts an overseas cruise.
You know, just in case. Admiral Kuznetsov has also had its fair share of bad luck lately. The aircraft carrier survived a number of crashes including a shipyard accident in and a fire, which broke out last year.
Russia is planning to add to its fleet of one. The Russian Navy is reportedly surveying two possible designs to replace the Kuznetsov. The U. There's the Queen Elizabeth , due to become operational in , and Prince of Wales , due in They will be the largest ships ever built for the Royal Navy.
Once completed, the carriers will be feet long and displace 65, tons apiece. Navy, given its experience planning around nuclear-powered carriers. These can provide the Marine Corps with improved air support, thereby taking more weight off the fleet carriers.
The provision of an early warning variant of the MV vertical lift aircraft should also be a priority. Such carriers should be capable of taking exclusive control of carrier missions at the lower end of the range of military operations, again giving navy planners more flexibility.
This program is unlikely to save the Pentagon much money. It would, however, generate crucial operational flexibility for the Navy. Provided that the designs utilize as much technological commonality with the existing America and Ford classes as possible, supply chain concerns can be minimized. With careful project management, it should be possible to stay very close to the current expected costs of the unit Ford program and the existing amphibious ship budget.
Even though the Navy has shelved a study on the future of the aircraft carrier fleet, the service should continue this important conversation elsewhere. These suggestions represent low-risk improvements, and yet the operational flexibility benefits would be enormous. In the words of Julian Corbett , only the U. Navy has the true freedom to make far-reaching strategic choices.
It does so secure in the knowledge that well-chosen steps will cause competitors headaches by driving them into areas that are less advantageous to their aims. This is no time for the Navy to shy away from the tough choices. Angus Ross is a professor at the U. Naval War College. He spent 25 years on active duty in the Royal Navy as an anti-submarine warfare specialist before retiring as a commander in He has taught ever since at the Naval War College and is a distinguished graduate of that institution.
He also holds a masters in history from Providence College. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author alone and are not an official policy or position of the U. Image: U. Rethinking the U. Angus Ross. Become a Member.
0コメント