American supercarriers are the face of U.S Navy and have enabled powered projection far
off from the U.S homeland.
The U.S is the only nation to operate so many supercarriers since they are very costly to
build and operate.
In our channel, we have posted many videos on Americans supercarriers.
Going through the comment section, it has been noticed that the supercarriers have been
referred to as being vulnerable and a waste of money.
Many military experts have also suggested the same.
But there are lots of aspect to this discussion and it is an important consideration since
a single supercarrier has around 5000 lives and its sinking will not only be a major tactical
blow but also have a tremendous physiological impact on the nation as a whole.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why it will be very hard to sink a U.S supercarriers?
Let's get into the details.
Nimitz-class carriers which form the backbone of U.S carrier fleet, as well as the new Ford
class carriers, are the biggest warships to roam the oceans displacing around 100,000
tons of water.
But that doesn’t mean they are slow & lumbering, powered by their nuclear reactors they can
move at 35 miles or 56 km per hour.
That means they are fast enough to outrun modern submarines as well as many types of
destroyers & cruisers.
Though these carriers are so big, in open ocean a carrier is not easy to detect or track.
In 30 minutes after a sighting by an opponent, the area within which a carrier might be operating
will expand to 900 square miles and this will increase to around 4,000 square miles after 60 minutes.
Nimitz-class, as well as the Ford-class carriers, are specially designed to able to absorb hits
including that of torpedoes.
They are designed to have hundreds of watertight compartments which can be sealed if hit.
This prevents water to follow into other portions of the carrier and stops the vessel from going down.
It also must be noted that American supercarriers have very strong kevlar armor protection in
sensitive parts and hence are hard to penetrate.
All in all, it can be said that to sink a supercarrier, it will have to hit multiple
times and with very powerful weapons.
Nimitz as well Ford class carriers have powerful sensors for 360 coverage of the space around
them as well as have a host of defensive weapons to neutralize different types of threats.
This includes 16–24 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles and 3-4 Phalanx Close-in Weapon System.
RIM-7 Sea Sparrow is short-range anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon system, primarily
intended for defense against anti-ship missiles.
It has a range of 10 miles and speed of Mach 3.5
Phalanx Close-in Weapon System is deployed for last-ditch defense against anti-ship missile
and is capable of firing up to 50 rounds per second.
Also, the carrier air wing of 60+ aircraft includes a squadron of early-warning radar planes.
These fly well ahead of the aircraft carrier and keep scanning vast areas for potential threats.
The aircraft carrier also has helicopters equipped with anti-submarine, anti-surface,
and counter-mine warfare weapons.
It must be noted that all these assets act in coordination and form a holistic defense
any kind of threats.
American carriers do not operate alone but are deployed as part of a "carrier strike group”.
The carrier strike group consists of multiple Ticonderoga-class cruiser and Arleigh Burke-class,
as well as Virginia class attack submarines.
Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer
are equipped with a diverse array of weapons for Anti Aircraft Warfare (AAW), Anti Submarine
Warfare (ASW), Anti Surface Warfare (ASuW) as well as have the ability to intercept ballistic
missiles through Aegis Ballistic missile defense system.
These vessels can also act as a shield for the supercarrier by coming in between missiles
or torpedoes and the supercarriers.
The Virginia class submarines can defeat enemy submarines, clear sea mines, as well as score,
hits on land installing.
Also, the strike group can summon additional support from nearby bases.
It also must be noted that the US Navy is very experienced in operating carrier strike
groups and have developed tactics to keep the supercarrier safe.
This includes having the having very good situationally awareness with satellite imagery
that can pinpoint potential sources of attack.
Though American supercarriers are not invincible but very few countries possess the technical
capability and weapon systems to confront them.
Scenarios that can potentially be testing for an American supercarrier is a barrage
of 8-16 Indo-Russian Brahmos supersonic missiles or newly developed Russian hypersonic Kinzhal
anti-ship cruise missile.
Chinese DF-21D Anti-ship ballistic missile which is touted to be a 'carrier killer’
could also be a threat.
But all of these weapons will have to get many things right to be able to hit an American
Supercarrier, let alone crippling or sinking it.