Supercarriers were, are and will be!
The feasibility of building supercarriers is questionable, because the cost of the Gerald R. Ford supercarrier, which is still under construction, has already exceeded 13 billion dollars, even if the rest of the aircraft carriers of this series will be cheaper, aircraft carriers still go super expensive.
After all, for the same money you can build 10-15 light aircraft carriers of the class “Sea Control Ship”, with vertical take-off aircraft. It is clear that it is much easier to destroy a light aircraft carrier than a supercarrier, but losses against the background of the naval grouping will be less noticeable than the loss of a heavy aircraft carrier. But the first reason why light aircraft carriers did not go into a wide series was the impossibility of using airborne early warning and control aircraft from them, which made it impossible to detect enemy missiles and aircraft at a safe distance. It followed that one supercarrier would win the battle with a group of light aircraft carriers.
Against the background of the fact that Russia is commissioning heavy nuclear missile cruisers, the second reason is obvious that super-carriers will develop and be in service fleet USA. The TARKR of Project 1144 Orlan can easily cope with a light aircraft carrier, and it is obvious that only Nimitz type super carriers or a heavy aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford type can be a counterweight to the Russian heavy nuclear missile cruisers.
The third reason for the existence and development of supergiants is politics, after all. A state that has such ultra-modern and super-giant aircraft carriers in service can dictate its conditions to many states that do not have an alternative weapons or protection from it, it is no secret that in almost all recent wars and military conflicts, the carrier strike group of the United States of America took part.
The carrier strike group is the main naval group of the US Navy. She embodied the best solutions for the tasks at sea.
The composition of the airborne shock group:
- One heavy nuclear aircraft carrier class "Nimitz";
- one or two missile cruisers "Ticonderoga";
- Two or three class destroyers "Orly Burke";
- two or three atomic multi-purpose submarines of the class "Virginia";
- one high-speed universal transport supply type "Sacramento".
Of the entire shock group, we are most of all interested in the Nimitz-type supercarb carrier, consider its characteristics and its armament:
- length 333 meter;
- displacement 98 235 tons;
- The width of the flight deck 76-78 meters;
- speed 56 km / h;
- two A4W reactors with power 280000 hp;
- four diesel power 10720 hp;
- four aircraft supply elevators;
- team 3200 + 2480 man wing;
- the life of the ship is more than 50 years;
- The operating time of nuclear fuel 20 years.
All heavy aircraft carriers of the Nimitz type are practically similar in design data, but differ slightly in the number of aircraft on board, electronic weapons equipment and various additional complexes.
The hull of the aircraft carriers is made of welded steel sheets, the flight deck and the main supporting structures are made of armor steel, there are more than 4000 different rooms on the ship.
The ship’s defensive armament — four 20-mm anti-aircraft artillery complexes “Vulcan Falans” and three anti-aircraft missile complexes “Sea Sparrow” - are intended mainly for self-defense. Two 324-mm torpedo tubes - to protect the ship from enemy torpedoes wake.
The control and radiolocation complexes include satellite communication stations SATCOM, control stations with digital communication lines, detection radar stations, jamming stations and radio-electronic warfare, anti-aircraft missile control stations, the TAKAN navigation system to ensure all aircraft based on it location data in diameter xnumx miles.
The wing consists of different planes and helicopters 78:
- X / NUMX fighter-bomber F / A-36 "Hornet";
- 20 fighter F-14 "Tomcat";
- four aircraft electronic warfare EA-6В “Proler”;
- 8 anti-submarine aircraft "Viking";
- four E-2C Hokai long-range radar detection and control aircraft;
- two rescue helicopters HH-60H "Sea Hawk";
- four anti-submarine helicopters SH-60F "CVI Helo";
Fighters have 9-11 suspensions (four under the wing, two at the ends of the wing and three-five under the fuselage) and can carry 6-8 tons of weapons:
- AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles;
- anti-ship missiles SLAM-modified "Harpoon";
- AIM-120 "AMRAAM" air-to-air missiles;
- AGM-88 "HARM" supersonic anti-radar anti-radar missiles;
- AGM-64 "Maverick" tactical missiles;
- planning bombs AGM-154;
- managed aviation JDAM bombs;
- cluster bombs CBU-87;
- laser-guided “Paveway” guided bombs;
- electronic warfare modules;
- guidance modules AN / AAS-38 "NiteHawk".
A total of ten heavy aircraft carriers of the Nimitz type were built, here they are:
Aircraft carrier "Nimitz"
Aircraft carrier "Dwight Eisenhower"
Aircraft carrier "Carl Vinson"
Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln"
Aircraft carrier "George Washington"
The aircraft carrier "John K. Stennis"
Aircraft carrier "harry truman"
Aircraft carrier "Ronald Reagan"
Aircraft carrier "George Bush"
Heavy aircraft carriers can be used as a floating airfield for aircraft performing various combat missions. This is another big plus for the development and continued use of heavy aircraft carriers in the armed forces. Carriers are not only huge military ships, but also the pride of their state and navy.
After all, for the same money you can build 10-15 light aircraft carriers of the class “Sea Control Ship”, with vertical take-off aircraft. It is clear that it is much easier to destroy a light aircraft carrier than a supercarrier, but losses against the background of the naval grouping will be less noticeable than the loss of a heavy aircraft carrier. But the first reason why light aircraft carriers did not go into a wide series was the impossibility of using airborne early warning and control aircraft from them, which made it impossible to detect enemy missiles and aircraft at a safe distance. It followed that one supercarrier would win the battle with a group of light aircraft carriers.
Against the background of the fact that Russia is commissioning heavy nuclear missile cruisers, the second reason is obvious that super-carriers will develop and be in service fleet USA. The TARKR of Project 1144 Orlan can easily cope with a light aircraft carrier, and it is obvious that only Nimitz type super carriers or a heavy aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford type can be a counterweight to the Russian heavy nuclear missile cruisers.
The third reason for the existence and development of supergiants is politics, after all. A state that has such ultra-modern and super-giant aircraft carriers in service can dictate its conditions to many states that do not have an alternative weapons or protection from it, it is no secret that in almost all recent wars and military conflicts, the carrier strike group of the United States of America took part.
The carrier strike group is the main naval group of the US Navy. She embodied the best solutions for the tasks at sea.
The composition of the airborne shock group:
- One heavy nuclear aircraft carrier class "Nimitz";
- one or two missile cruisers "Ticonderoga";
- Two or three class destroyers "Orly Burke";
- two or three atomic multi-purpose submarines of the class "Virginia";
- one high-speed universal transport supply type "Sacramento".
Of the entire shock group, we are most of all interested in the Nimitz-type supercarb carrier, consider its characteristics and its armament:
- length 333 meter;
- displacement 98 235 tons;
- The width of the flight deck 76-78 meters;
- speed 56 km / h;
- two A4W reactors with power 280000 hp;
- four diesel power 10720 hp;
- four aircraft supply elevators;
- team 3200 + 2480 man wing;
- the life of the ship is more than 50 years;
- The operating time of nuclear fuel 20 years.
All heavy aircraft carriers of the Nimitz type are practically similar in design data, but differ slightly in the number of aircraft on board, electronic weapons equipment and various additional complexes.
The hull of the aircraft carriers is made of welded steel sheets, the flight deck and the main supporting structures are made of armor steel, there are more than 4000 different rooms on the ship.
The ship’s defensive armament — four 20-mm anti-aircraft artillery complexes “Vulcan Falans” and three anti-aircraft missile complexes “Sea Sparrow” - are intended mainly for self-defense. Two 324-mm torpedo tubes - to protect the ship from enemy torpedoes wake.
The control and radiolocation complexes include satellite communication stations SATCOM, control stations with digital communication lines, detection radar stations, jamming stations and radio-electronic warfare, anti-aircraft missile control stations, the TAKAN navigation system to ensure all aircraft based on it location data in diameter xnumx miles.
The wing consists of different planes and helicopters 78:
- X / NUMX fighter-bomber F / A-36 "Hornet";
- 20 fighter F-14 "Tomcat";
- four aircraft electronic warfare EA-6В “Proler”;
- 8 anti-submarine aircraft "Viking";
- four E-2C Hokai long-range radar detection and control aircraft;
- two rescue helicopters HH-60H "Sea Hawk";
- four anti-submarine helicopters SH-60F "CVI Helo";
Fighters have 9-11 suspensions (four under the wing, two at the ends of the wing and three-five under the fuselage) and can carry 6-8 tons of weapons:
- AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles;
- anti-ship missiles SLAM-modified "Harpoon";
- AIM-120 "AMRAAM" air-to-air missiles;
- AGM-88 "HARM" supersonic anti-radar anti-radar missiles;
- AGM-64 "Maverick" tactical missiles;
- planning bombs AGM-154;
- managed aviation JDAM bombs;
- cluster bombs CBU-87;
- laser-guided “Paveway” guided bombs;
- electronic warfare modules;
- guidance modules AN / AAS-38 "NiteHawk".
A total of ten heavy aircraft carriers of the Nimitz type were built, here they are:
Aircraft carrier "Nimitz"
Aircraft carrier "Dwight Eisenhower"
Aircraft carrier "Carl Vinson"
Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln"
Aircraft carrier "George Washington"
The aircraft carrier "John K. Stennis"
Aircraft carrier "harry truman"
Aircraft carrier "Ronald Reagan"
Aircraft carrier "George Bush"
Heavy aircraft carriers can be used as a floating airfield for aircraft performing various combat missions. This is another big plus for the development and continued use of heavy aircraft carriers in the armed forces. Carriers are not only huge military ships, but also the pride of their state and navy.
Information