Carrier Strike Group

Modern aircraft carriers can be compared to heavily armed knights of the Middle Ages — at first glance, an invulnerable combat unit that cannot act on its own. Knights were accompanied by numerous servants and squires. They covered them in battle, fed them during breaks, looked after their horses and kept track of their ammunition. A modern aircraft carrier needs protection and support in exactly the same way.

Today, there is not a single military expert who would question the strategic role of aircraft carriers, not only in wartime but also in peacetime. Yet half a century ago, many experts predicted the imminent demise of this class of ships. The main advantage of aircraft carriers was considered to be their enormous size and the unprecedented concentration of combat aircraft, ammunition and aviation fuel on board a single ship.

‘Too many eggs in one basket,’ the experts said, ‘which are too easy to break.’ At the time, these words sounded more than convincing.

Anti-ship missiles began to enter service with the navies of the major powers. The problem of protecting aircraft carriers was of particular concern to the Americans, who had the largest aircraft carrier fleet. They had accumulated considerable experience in the field of protecting floating airfields. During World War II, the post-war decades, and the hostilities of the Cold War, a formula for aircraft carrier survival was developed. Aircraft carrier strike groups appeared and were perfected.

A modern AUG is a group of ships of different classes that operate as a single team led by a captain and, at the same time, a main attacker — an aircraft carrier. The team's task is simple — to protect the aircraft carrier from all kinds of threats in the ocean, i.e. from attacks by enemy surface ships, aircraft and submarines.

In addition to the aircraft carrier, the AUG includes one or two missile cruisers, up to three destroyers, and about four frigates, as well as one or two hunter-type submarines. A total of 11 to 12 ships. In almost all photographs, the aircraft carrier strike group is always in close formation. The sight of such an armada makes a great impression on the public — the very embodiment of power passes before their eyes. In combat service, everything looks different.

Escort ships are usually not visible from the deck of an aircraft carrier, as the distance between them is measured in tens of miles. The cruising order itself is a huge circle with a diameter of more than 100 miles, with the aircraft carrier at its centre. Scattered across the ocean, the ships of the AUG form a single entity. They are linked by a common information field. The electronic systems of the ships and deck-based aircraft constantly monitor the air, surface and underwater situation. There is a continuous exchange of data, which is summarised and sent to the combat control centre located on the aircraft carrier.

An atomic submarine travels at the forefront, a considerable distance ahead of the main group. The second submarine, depending on the situation, can move to any of the perimeter sectors, strengthening the defence of the order in a dangerous direction. These are usually submarine ‘hunters’. Their main role is advanced acoustic surveillance and countering underwater threats to the aircraft carrier and other ships in the formation. The flanks are usually covered by guided missile defence cruisers. They form the basis of the aircraft carrier group's combat escort. These warships are equipped with the most modern weapons, including air defence missile systems, Tomahawk or Harpoon missiles, and anti-submarine guided missiles.

Sector and rear cover is provided by missile destroyers and frigates. The latest Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are on a par with modern cruisers in terms of armament. Thanks to Tomahawk missiles, these warships are capable of attacking surface targets far from the coast.

Frigates are the most compact ships in an aircraft carrier strike group. Their main task is to detect and destroy enemy submarines. These ships are equipped with a powerful hydroacoustic system with an extended towed antenna. Frigates also have missile weapons, but only with a short range.

The experience of World War II and local conflicts has shown that the most dangerous enemy of a warship is an aircraft, so the main bastion of air defence for an aircraft carrier strike group is the air defence of all ship-based assets. The leading role here belongs to the aircraft carrier itself. The main ‘air eyes’ of an aircraft carrier are long-range reconnaissance aircraft capable of monitoring the situation in the sky within a radius of up to 1,000 km. The aircraft carrier's air wing includes up to six such aircraft.

When the AUG arrives in the designated area, two aircraft begin combat duty in the air. Two or three F-14 Tomcat interceptors are on constant alert on the aircraft carrier's deck. Their main weapon is the Phoenix missile with a range of up to 180 km.

In peacetime and during local wars, the AUG proved its right to exist, but after several decades, military experts are once again predicting the inevitable demise of aircraft carriers, but the giants of the oceans are not going to give up. The ‘kings’ and their entourage are receiving the latest weapons, and as the defenders of aircraft carriers say, it does not matter that all the eggs are still kept in one basket; the main thing is to keep that basket safe.