'Invincible' escort team around US aircraft carrier

The US Navy's USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is making a historic visit to Da Nang, escorted by the cruiser Lake Champlain and the destroyer Wayne E. Meyer. Aircraft carriers costing nearly $5 billion like the Carl Vinson are assets of great strategic value to the US Navy, so they are always protected with the most modern systems.

In theory, an aircraft carrier can be attacked from all directions. The enemy can use warships equipped with long-range guns or cruise missiles to attack the carrier on the surface. Under the water, the enemy can use submarines, torpedoes and mines to attack the carrier. In the air, bombers and ballistic missiles pose the greatest threat.

Therefore, the escort warships in the aircraft carrier strike group have the greatest responsibility to protect the "floating fortress" in the center of the formation.

Carrier Strike Group

Carrier strike groups are established by the US Navy as a necessary platform for carrying out missions, and the number and types of ships assigned to the group vary depending on the situation. The size of carrier strike groups can vary from period to period, but a typical group will consist of an aircraft carrier and eight escort ships.

Of the eight escorts, two guided missile cruisers take on the offensive role, as they are typically armed with precision cruise missiles such as Tomahawks to attack long-range land targets. This attack is usually carried out in the early stages of a war, using missiles to “soften” targets and neutralize enemy air defenses, creating conditions for carrier-based fighters to carry out their missions.

The two destroyers in the formation will be tasked with defense. They are equipped with advanced sensor systems, such as the Aegis combat system that can detect and neutralize enemy missiles, and sonar and torpedo systems to destroy enemy submarines.

The primary anti-submarine mission in a strike group is assigned to one frigate in the formation. This mission is also shared with two submarines in the group, usually long-range nuclear attack submarines. These submarines are tasked with defending the aircraft carrier against threats from enemy submarines and surface ships.

Following behind a carrier strike group is usually a logistics ship carrying fuel, food and ammunition to be ready to resupply the ships in the group when needed.

In addition, depending on the specific mission, there will be a number of additional ships accompanying this task force, such as troop transport ships, marine landing ships, transport ships carrying tanks and military equipment, minesweepers, etc.

Combat process

When a carrier strike group sets sail from its home port, all 9-10 warships in the group, along with about 80 aircraft and nearly 8,000 sailors, pilots and soldiers, are placed on high alert. Their goal in each departure is to complete the assigned mission and protect the carrier strike group from any form of enemy attack.

The main offensive combat mission is assigned to the carrier air wing. Each air wing assigned to an aircraft carrier usually consists of 9 squadrons, with a total of 70-80 aircraft of various types.

Playing the main role in the air wing are the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet carrier-based fighters. These are highly reliable and versatile multi-role fighters, very suitable for operating on aircraft carriers. During air strikes, these fighters can take off continuously to destroy enemy aircraft as well as bomb ground targets, supporting infantry operations.

Supporting the aircraft carrier's operations is the E-2 C/D Hawkeye early warning aircraft with a large, prominent radar system on its fuselage. The modern sensors on the E-2 C/D Hawkeye can detect threats from afar, while capturing all enemy activities and providing updated information to the fighters via a secure data link.

Protecting an aircraft carrier is a 24/7 operation. Crews in an aircraft carrier strike group must remain vigilant against threats from the air, on the surface, and under the water.

To help aircraft carriers enhance their defense capabilities, Hawkeye aircraft often take off and fly low, using long-range radar to scan large areas of the sea surface, helping commanding officers on aircraft carriers know what types of aircraft and ships are approaching from beyond the horizon.

When faced with an enemy equipped with modern submarines, the S-3B Viking aircraft and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters in the carrier air group will be ordered to hunt and destroy the submarines. Meanwhile, the E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft has the function of jamming enemy radars and blocking all enemy communications on the battlefield.

Destroyers and escort ships will use sonar and magnetic sensors to continuously search the ocean floor for enemy submarines. The purpose of these activities is to create a closed "bubble" around the aircraft carrier so that no "foreign objects" are allowed to enter that bubble without permission.

Military analysts say that with this "battle group" tactic, US aircraft carriers can deal with any threat on today's modern battlefield, helping them continue to exert their "invincible" power at sea.