Missiles and drones that can sink aircraft carriers are quite cheap compared to the billions required to design, build, equip, and operate the carriers themselves. Are they still worth the investment?
If there is a weapon system that embodies military and national power, it must be the aircraft carrier. Large, expensive, and lethal on the battlefield, aircraft carriers bring nigh-unparalleled capabilities on the field.
However, emerging technologies are challenging the notion of the mighty aircraft carrier and force the U.S. Navy to think hard about its future.
The U.S. Navy Carrier Fleet Is the Best in the World
The U.S. Navy has the largest and most capable aircraft carrier fleet in the world, with eleven “supercarriers”—a term of art that describes large flattops that can carry and launch dozens of fighter jets and support aircraft.
Currently, the Navy operates two classes of carriers, the Nimitz and Ford classes. Specifically, it has 10 Nimitz-class carriers and one Ford-class. The sole Ford ship is the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is the lead of its class and the most advanced aircraft carrier in the world. All eleven of hte flattops can carry scores of fighter jets, including F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35B/C Lightning II stealth fighter jets, and E/A-18G Growlers.
In many ways, aircraft carriers are floating cities, with populations that can reach upwards of 5,000 sailors and marines. Moreover, all U.S. aircraft carriers are powered by nuclear energy, meaning that they can sail almost indefinitely without the need to refuel—though the ships must be regularly restocked with provisions for the crew and receive periodic on-shore maintenance.
Such capabilities do not come cheap. The USS Gerald R. Ford, for example, came with a price tag of approximately $13 billion. Lead ships of a class tend to cost more than subsequent vessels of the same class, and the Nimitz-class carriers are a relative bargain, at approximately $4.5 billion per warship. Of course, this price tag is simply the fixed cost of constructing the aircraft carriers; their ongoing operating costs are substantial as well.
The Big Question: Will Aircraft Carriers Still Matter in the Future?
These immense costs have raised eyebrows in Washington—particularly as innovations in offensive weapons threaten to sink the carriers, or at least make them far less useful. One of the biggest threats to aircraft carriers comes from advanced anti-ship missiles, which have proliferated to America’s adversaries abroad, and potentially drone swarms in the immediate future. Such weapon systems are quite cheap compared to the billions required to design, build, equip, and operate a carrier. So are aircraft carriers still worth the investment?
The answer is not simple. In the absence of expeditionary bases in every corner of the planet, aircraft carriers can bring the full might of several fighter jet squadrons against an adversary almost anywhere in the world. Until technology advances to such a degree that fighter jets can fly so far and with such fuel efficiency that a floating airbase is not needed, aircraft carriers offer unparalleled flexibility to policymakers and military planners.
To be sure, the Navy could invest in smaller and less expensive vessels that could carry fewer fighter jets but also be cheaper. Losing such warships to enemy anti-ship missiles and drone swarms would not be as catastrophic as losing a supercarrier. However, none of these ships could truly replace the aircraft carrier—and the sheer amount of firepower it can bring to the battle.
So, at least for now, the flattops are still worth it.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock / apiguide.
