US aircraft carrier group with full missiles approaches Mediterranean

The US says the ships are intended to act as a deterrent to ensure conflict does not spread, while also bolstering its presence in a region already teeming with US military ships, aircraft and troops. So what do the US aircraft carriers bring to the Middle East?

The world's largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford moves with the refueling ship USNS Laramie (T-AO-203). Photo: US Navy

The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is here.

The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, along with support ships, arrived in the eastern Mediterranean early last week. The Ford, commissioned in 2017, is America’s newest aircraft carrier and the world’s largest, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard.

The carrier, which includes a nuclear reactor, can carry more than 75 military aircraft, including fighters such as the F-18 Super Hornet and the E-2 Hawkeye, which can act as an early warning system.

It has an arsenal of missiles, such as the Sea Sparrow Evolved, a medium-range surface-to-air missile used against drones and enemy fighters. The Ford also has sophisticated radars that can help with air traffic control and navigation.

Additionally, the carrier houses an aircraft-like airframe missile used to target anti-ship missiles, along with the Mk-15 Phalanx Close-in Weapon System used to fire armor-piercing rounds.

Meanwhile, Ford's support group includes the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Normandy and the Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, Carney and Roosevelt. They include surface-to-air, surface-to-surface and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

The Dwight Eisenhower is coming.

The Pentagon has also directed the Dwight Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group to move to the eastern Mediterranean. It will take between a week and a week and a half to reach the area.

This nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1977, first saw action in the Kuwait-Iraq war.

The US aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Photo: US Navy

The Eisenhower, also known as the "Ike," has a crew of 5,000 sailors and can carry up to nine squadrons of aircraft, such as fighter jets, helicopters and those capable of conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Like the Ford, the Ike will be escorted by other ships such as the guided-missile cruiser Philippine Sea, and the guided-missile destroyers Gravely and Mason.

These ships are focused on defending themselves and their carriers. While they can carry out offensive operations, they are not suited to act as a missile defense system for Israel, which already has sophisticated systems like Iron Dome.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/doi-tau-san-bay-my-voi-day-ten-lua-tiep-can-dia-trung-hai-post268744.html