Listen: Is The Age Of Aircraft Carriers Over?

PACIFIC OCEAN (July 11, 2015) An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter attached to the Battle Cats of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 fires flares near the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during an air power demonstration. Carl Vinson hosts more than 2,000 family members and friends to demonstrate the ship’s capabilities. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Tom Tonthat/Released)

The United States 10 times as many aircraft carriers as any other country. So why don’t more countries have more carriers? Maybe they aren’t such a great idea, anymore.

By Jason Fields (Reuters) The United States has more aircraft carriers than any other country – depending on how you define “aircraft carrier,” it’s 10 times as many.

Russia, a major naval power with large submarine corps and many other surface ships, has one carrier. It’s from the Soviet era, diesel powered and rarely at sea for more than six months at a time before heading back for a refit that typically takes longer than the deployment.

China’s first aircraft carrier recently became operational. It’s a Soviet model that’s been refurbished. A second carrier is being refurbished now. The other nations that can sent flattops to sea are India, Italy and France. The United Kingdom currently can’t launch fighters from its lone carrier because they retired their Harrier jump jets in 2010 to save money.

The United States, on the other hand, currently has 10 super carriers with air wings that are never smaller than 60 planes. It is authorized by Congress to keep 11 in service, but a new class of carriers has been slow to get out of dry dock. But the super carriers are only half of the force. There are 10 more ships capable of deploying V/STOL aircraft like the V-22 Osprey, Harriers and also helicopters. Many nations would call those aircraft carriers, too.

So, clearly, the U.S. government believes these ships are key to the nation’s overall military strategy. They help give the United States an unparalleled ability to project force in short order nearly anywhere in the world.

But what if these many-multibillion dollar plans can be upset by a few million dollars in missiles? It could make the aircraft carrier an endangered species. Listen to the following podcast to learn more:

The views expressed in this article are not those of Reuters News or gCaptain.

© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.

Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!

Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.

Sign Up