Soviet 'suicide strike' to sink US aircraft carrier

The Soviet Union once planned to deploy 100 Tu-22M missile-carrying bombers to launch a suicide attack on a US aircraft carrier group.

The Tu-16 squadron acted as the eyes and ears for the missile attack.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Soviet Union was unable to compete with the United States in the aircraft carrier race. This led Moscow to secretly develop a deterrence strategy by destroying American aircraft carriers based on Japan's suicide attack tactics during World War II, according to WATM.

During World War II, the Soviet Union realized that Japan had many powerful warships, but the emergence of the US aircraft carrier fleet completely changed the nature of naval warfare. Most of the Japanese naval warships were sunk by US fighter planes in the final stages of the war, leaving them with no way to confront US warships.

The only way for Japan to deal with the US was to launch a preemptive strike that would severely damage the aircraft carrier, making it impossible for fighter jets to take off, and neutralizing the US Navy's most powerful weapon. This forced Tokyo to come up with the suicide tactic of "Kamikaze" (Divine Wind), using bombers to crash directly into US warships.

The Soviet strategy to destroy American aircraft carriers also relied on air power, which would be based near the coast. The plan did not imitate Kamikaze tactics, but the Soviets estimated that each unit attacking an American aircraft carrier would lose up to 50% of its forces in the process.

According to the plan, the Soviet naval aviation force would dispatch 100 Tu-22M bombers equipped with anti-ship missiles to attack the US aircraft carrier battle group. Soviet strategists wanted to neutralize the air defense system of the aircraft carrier escort squadron, creating a "golden moment" to launch a missile attack.

US F-14 aircraft escorting Soviet Tu-22M bombers. Photo: Wikipedia.

The Soviets knew that the American interceptor squadrons were operating on instructions from air traffic controllers. They would try to fool the controllers, overloading the sensors and leaving the American warships unable to react to a full-scale attack.

Soviet naval pilots also did not trust targeting data from satellites or intelligence. Their most reliable source of information was the spotter ships that constantly trailed the American fleet, sending live data in real time.

Even the crews of the tailing ships were determined to be destroyed if war broke out. "As soon as there was a declaration of war or orders from above, the captain would announce the location of the US fleet to the bombers via radio, then fire artillery at the runway and the aircraft carrier's command tower. The ship could also crash straight into the US aircraft carrier," revealed Maksim Y. Tokarev, a former Soviet naval officer.

The Soviet bombers would launch a series of missiles from the farthest distance as a feint, while the tworeconnaissance aircraftThe Tu-16s would attempt to penetrate the center of the American formation to find the carrier visually. They would communicate its exact location to the rest of the force via radio. The Tu-16 crew understood that this was a suicide mission, with no hope of returning safely.

Once the location of the US aircraft carrier is determined, the main Soviet force will simultaneously launch anti-ship cruise missiles. Bomber squadrons will attack from different directions and altitudes, making it difficult for the enemy's air defense system. The golden time for the attack will only last for one minute to achieve the highest efficiency. "If during the exercise, the attack time is longer than one minute, the attack will be considered a failure," said Mr. Tokarev.

According to Soviet calculations, it would take 12 anti-ship missiles with conventional warheads or one nuclear warhead to sink an American aircraft carrier.

The missile-carrying Tu-22Ms were the focus of the "suicide attack". Photo: Wikipedia.

Because of the difficulty and high casualty rate of this plan, Soviet naval bomber crews often considered themselves suicide squadrons. They also calculated that the guide ships would only survive the first 20-25 minutes of the battle with the American aircraft carrier group. The level of damage was too heavy while the effectiveness of sinking the aircraft carrier was not really guaranteed, so the Soviets abandoned this plan.

According to VNE