Red storm. Can the Nimitz aircraft carrier attack Syria?
The situation around Syria is developing in a bad way. First of all - for American “hawks” from
The general illogicality of the coming war, multiplied by the internal economic problems of European countries, yielded a logical result - the faithful allies of the United States, one and all, refused to fight under the banner of their overlord.
The East joined the boycott - not wanting to make new problems for itself, Jordan refused to provide its airspace for US Air Force aircraft.
Israel is silent.
The world trend was supported even by Iraq, defeated and ransacked by Americans. Standing up in a proud pose, the Iraqis forbade US Air Force aircraft to appear in the sky above the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates.
The coalition is falling apart, all plans are flying to hell, the Strike Eagles pilots are sad at Mountain Home base in Idaho - it looks like they will not be able to fly in the Syrian sky now.
Americans fit to abandon their plans - in the absence of the necessary number of air bases nearby, conducting large-scale hostilities is impossible. But no!
The Yankees get their last "trump card" from their sleeves - the Nimitz-class super-ships!
Deck aviation The US Navy does not require anyone’s consent - floating airfields allow you to place aircraft in any part of the Mediterranean Sea and strike Damascus directly from neutral waters!
Okay, let's not mock the unhappy Pentagon strategists who are beating over the solution of an impossible task - even five Nimitz-style “wunderdrafts” cannot compensate for the lack of normal airfields. And deck-mounted nonso-aircraft "Super-Hornet" look ridiculous against the background of the destructive "Strike Needles" and the hordes of small, but nimble and omnipresent F-16.
Obviously, the US Navy carrier strike groups, left alone, will not be “taken out” by the war with Syria - after all, for all 40 years of their careers, the Nimitz never dared to “get up and go into full-blown attack”.
In 1991, these cowards and idlers stood for half a year, waiting for the Air Force of the Multinational Force to fly to their aid - while the Hussein troops unceremoniously occupied Kuwait and shared rich trophies.
It was necessary to launch a counterstrike as soon as possible, delay the offensive and not allow the Iraqis to gain a foothold in Kuwait ... Alas, the American aircraft carrier groups were not in a hurry to "project" their strength.
The Yankees understood very well that by pushing into the airspace of Iraq with the forces of several aircraft carrier wings, they would only wash themselves with blood, lose about fifty cars, but would not stop the advance of Nebuchadnezzar * and Tavalkan for a second.
Because aircraft carriers were waiting.
They waited for the multinational Air Force combat aircraft to arrive in the region.
* elite tank Iraqi Guard divisions
However, the point is not that the aircraft wing of an aircraft carrier looks like a pitiful sting against the background of thousands of Air Force machines. Whenever an aircraft carrier goes on a hike, there is an EXHEN with such special effects that Steven Spielberg himself could not dream of.
Aviation loves space. But instead, it is pushed onto the cramped decks of the ship.
Fiery exhaust of jet engines, helicopters glittering blade, abundant explosive and flammable objects, scurrying everywhere and tractors crawling cable aerobatsplanes sizzling hot steam catapult, elevators, plane elevators, elevators ammunition, lifting reflective shields and heavy blows landing on wheels fighter deck - landing speed modern jet aircraft significantly exceed the milestone in 200 km / h!
All these rides are focused on a moving unstable platform with 18 200 square. meters (2,5 football fields).
The result is logical. Hardly anything goes according to plan - the slightest spark, the spontaneous launch of NURS under the wing of an attack aircraft ready for departure, or the landing of one aircraft on another (a very common plot in the confusion of working days) - a firework that envy another multi-million Hollywood blockbuster envy. A fiery whirlwind rushes across the deck, setting fire to an aircraft that has become confused - often already refueled and ready for a new flight. Torn bombs and tens of tons of burning aviation kerosene - the situation takes a dangerous turn.
And how much "joy" for the Americans is delivered by the seemingly harmless, at the first glance, arresting belt break!
Incident with aerofinisher cliff, aircraft carrier "George Washington", 2003 year
A splash arises under the nose of an aircraft carrier going at full speed - the plane fell into the water, blowing the 67 million dollars from the American budget in one instant (flyaway cost F / A-18E / F Super Hornet on 2012 a year).
At this time, a real hardcore is taking place on the flight deck - scraps of a broken steel cable crippling sailors from the deck crew, incidentally chopping the protruding tails of airplanes and helicopters parked in the stern of the ship.
In cramped and offended
Every takeoff and landing threatens to turn into a catastrophe - in such conditions, it is better for Nimits to stay at the pier in Norfolk and not to try to “project power” around the world.
It is contraindicated for them to appear off the coast of Syria - the deck air wing may die long before the ship reaches the combat zone - as happened with Oriskani, Forrestal and Enterprise.
The fire on the Forrestal strike aircraft carrier (the Gulf of Tonkin, 1967 year) was particularly costly for American sailors - the largest tragedy in modern stories US Navy. In a raging fire, then the 134 man died, another 161 sailor was injured and burned.
Cause? The spontaneous launch of the 127 mm unguided Zuni rocket - having broken loose from the Skyhawk attack pylon, the rocket crashed into the front-facing, fully-fueled and equipped aircraft. Result: 17-hour fire that engulfed six decks of the ship, the detonation of nine bombs on the flight deck, hundreds of dead and wounded among the crew. The ship and its wing were completely out of combat capability, the 21 burned aircraft was thrown overboard (not counting aircraft damaged by fire).
Consequences of a fire at "Forrestol"
No less fierce was the fire on the atomic Enterprise Enterprise off the coast of Hawaii (1969 year) - the newest super-aircraft carrier almost died in training exercises before being sent to the shores of Vietnam. Cause? Jet stream, randomly aimed at a rack with Zuni missiles (after all, tightness is a terrible force). Ignition, spontaneous launching of NURS - and further along the following pattern: many hours of fire, fuel spill from wrecked aircraft, explosions on the flight deck, 27 dead and 120 burnt seamen. The wing of the Enterprise lost 15 aircraft.
But the most delusional story occurred on board the aircraft carrier Oriskany (1966 year) - the sailor bore a bunch of signal rockets, throwing exhaust cords over his shoulder. One of the missiles caught something and accidentally launched from the jerk of the cord. The sailor did not lose his head and threw her aside, getting in trouble in a box with the same missiles. “Salutes” flying around the hangar set fire to the stored aircraft - 44 people were killed in the fight against fire, 156 was seriously injured. Almost all the aircraft on the hangar deck burned down.
A lot of misfortunes have done the fighter "Phantom", unsuccessfully landed on the deck of the aircraft carrier "Midway" (1972 year) - "Phantom" crashed into the thick of parked aircraft on the fly all the way. The result is the early write-off of eight aircraft units; casualties among the personnel - 5 dead, 23 injured.
However, why do we discuss the events 40-year-old, when there are more recent examples.
For example, the pogrom on the deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz, 1981 year:
The landing plane of EW EA-6B "Prouler" crashed into the unsuccessfully parked Sea King helicopter. The fire started was extinguished quickly, barely the sailors attempted to remove the debris, the explosion of the Sparrow roared, followed by four more explosions. Result: 14 killed, 39 injured. All nearby aircraft were burnt down: nine “Corsair” attack aircraft, three heavy Tomkat interceptors, three S-3 “Viking” PLO, A-6 “Intrudur” aircraft, as well as the immediate perpetrators of the tragedy: EA-6B “Praler” and helicopter "Sea King".
Accident on the deck "Nimitz", 1981 year
Another curious story took place in 1988 year. During a cruise in the Arabian Sea, aboard the Nimitz, an emergency occurred from the Rise of the Machines cycle - the A-7E attack plane had a six-barreled Vulcan cannon wedged in. 4000 shots per minute!
The gun literally riddled the KA-6D tanker in front of it. This circumstance only added drama - from the tanks KA-6D splashed out and instantly ignited tons of jet fuel, turning the aircraft into a raging fire torch.
The flaming tanker was barely managed to be pushed overboard, but before that he managed to set fire to the 5 of the Corsair aircraft, as well as the Viking and Intruder stationed at the nearest spotting site.
1991 year, again the aircraft carrier Nimitz (CVN-68) distinguished itself - on the night from 12 to 13 July F / A-18C Hornet crashed on its deck ... life, as they say, everyday, if it were not for one nuance – congered burning the car, abandoned by the crew, caught on to the aero-finisher and froze in the middle of the deck, but its engines still roared in the “afterburner” mode. The Yankees were really lucky that there were no other aircraft or a rack of Zuni rockets in that coin nearby.
The situation was saved by a brave technician who managed to get into the cockpit of an emergency aircraft and turn off the engines.
1998 year, another accident on the aircraft carrier "Enterprise" - aircraft EA-6B "Prauler" ignored bans dispatcher and landed right on the head of another plane - just landed S-3 "WFP" had not had time to leave the runway and received a deafening shock in the tail. Details on the video:
Here it exploded!
But fresh news for 2011 year: a multipurpose fighter-bomber F / A-18C Hornet exploded and burned on a catapult while attempting to take off from the atomic carrier John S. Stennis. Reported 10 affected.
Yes ... as they say, having such friends, enemies are not necessary.
The damage from the actions of deck aviation is enormous - of course, we politically correct to keep silent about ordinary aviation accidents that occurred after taking off from a catapult or during landing on a moving aircraft carrier - such as, for example, the death of Kara Khaltgreen - the first female pilot of deck aircraft whose F-14 "Tomkat" fell into the water when approaching the aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" (1994 year).
All these cases have one simple explanation: landing on a moving steel strip of limited length is not an easy task; Pilots are required to have the highest qualifications and skill of filigree control of aircraft equipment. The slightest mistake or sharp gust of wind - and the plane is hidden in the waves behind the stern of the ship.
Fierce crash on the deck "John F. Kennedy"
Just a little bit - and he would have hooked other cars
Just a little bit - and he would have hooked other cars
In fact, the number of such cases exceeds 100. Thematic sites and YouTube video hosting are full of accidents and emergency situations that occurred with the deck aircraft of the US Navy.
Of course, supporters of the US Navy will immediately find an excuse - as of 2011, the aircraft carrier Nimitz marked the 300 000's landing on its deck. What does a hundred accidents mean amid hundreds of thousands of successful landings?
The answer is simple - Moscow Domodedovo Airport DAILY provides for 300-350 landings of passenger airliners. The norm, for which “Nimitz” took 40 years to complete, a regular airport performs for 2-3 of the year! At the same time, cases of major accidents at the airport are calculated in a few units - literally every 10 years.
In principle, instead of Domodedovo Airport you can consider any US Air Force airbase.
Here is the statistics
Spectator wreck attack aircraft LTV A-7 Corsair II, Midway, 1984 year
As for the usual wrecks in the air and combat losses that occurred at a distance of tens and hundreds of miles from the aircraft carrier - these cases are excluded from consideration, because This is possible with any aircraft of the Air Force and Navy, regardless of how it is based.
Also, marine navigational accidents are excluded from the review, such as for example the collision of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy with the cruiser Belknap (1975 year, the cruiser was almost completely destroyed by fire) or the landing of the atomic carrier Stennis (1999) - similar cases are valid for ships of all classes.
Of interest are only accidents in the immediate vicinity of the carrier ship, on its flight or hangar decks, directly related to the specifics of carrier-based aircraft. And such cases, as we see it was not enough.
And if you thought that was not enough - here is another interesting episode:
25 January 1987 of the Year, Ionian Sea. The electronic reconnaissance aircraft EA-3B Skywatch, reported to the aircraft carrier about a critical fault that makes it impossible to land using an aero-finisher.
Sailors began to bustle on the Nimitz, urgently tidying up the excess aircraft and pulling the so-called across the deck. "Barricade" (elastic network) for braking an emergency aircraft. Alas, it was all over for the Yankees in a bad way - a huge Skywatch broke the barricade, crashed down from all over the deck and, raising fountains of sparks, fell overboard. The crew of the 7 people died.
Well, it happens.
Finale
To cross the plane with the ship - the idea, in principle, is not a bad one. But everything has its time and place: what was great during the Second World War has now turned into an absurdity. The weight and dimensions and landing speeds of modern jet machines are so high that a ship of gigantic size is needed to land even the smallest combat aircraft (“Hornet”). This “floating island”, whose life cycle is estimated at 30-40 billion dollars (excluding the cost of operating the wing).
But, alas, as practice shows, even this is not enough for the safe and efficient operation of aviation - deck vehicles fight like empty bottles.
The strike power of floating airfields turned out to be negligible in any of the modern local wars (their capabilities in a global war should not even be mentioned) - a few dozen vehicles with limited performance characteristics — an empty space amid thousands of Air Force planes. As for their notorious "mobility" - in the era of jet engines, supersonic speeds and the possibility of refueling in the air - the need for "floating airfields" completely disappears.
It is time to honestly admit that the aircraft carrier is outdated, as the sailing brigantines, rowing galleys and battleships of the Russo-Japanese War once outdated.
Syrians can sleep peacefully - until the US Air Force aircraft arrived at the airbases in the Middle East - there will be no war. Atomic super-aircraft carrier "Nimitz" can arbitrarily enter and exit the Red Sea, but its ridiculous gestures do not mean anything in modern conditions.
And if the Yankees still dare to send "help" to the Mediterranean Sea - a couple more "floating airfields" of the "Nimitz" class, in this case the Internet will overflow with video clips about new crashes on board aircraft carriers. Deck aircraft of the US Navy will kill in accidents, but will not perform the task.
Powerful F-14 crash. Wall of fire!
"Abraham Lincoln", 1993 Year
"Abraham Lincoln", 1993 Year
The position of the Nimitsev and the US Navy amphibious assault carriers on 5 September 2013.
Recently, the number of accidents on aircraft carriers of the US Navy has decreased markedly. After all, 8 from 10 atomic giants hardly go to sea and rust at anchor for years.
Recently, the number of accidents on aircraft carriers of the US Navy has decreased markedly. After all, 8 from 10 atomic giants hardly go to sea and rust at anchor for years.
Based on:
http://www.uscarriers.net/
http://www.history.navy.mil/
http://www.airwarriors.com/
http://www.youtube.com/
Information