III.

Navy Vessels and Aircraft

The U.S. Navy maintains a wide variety of military equipment, including ballistic missile submarines, aircraft carriers, surface warships, attack submarines, land-based aircraft, and amphibious vessels.

A.

Ballistic Missile Submarines

The core of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear deterrent capability is its fleet of 18 Ohio-class submarines. (Each model, or class, of Navy vessel takes the name of a state, a military leader such as Chester Nimitz, or other name deemed appropriate by the Navy.) Each of these submarines can carry 24 Trident II nuclear missiles, which can strike targets at a range of 7,400 km (4,600 mi). The Trident II missile can deliver up to eight 475-kiloton nuclear warheads, each the equivalent of 475,000 tons of TNT, for a combined explosive force more than 250 times as powerful as the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. More than half of the Navy’s Ohio-class submarines remain on patrol at sea at all times, and they are nearly undetectable by sonar and other types of sensors. Beginning in the early 2000s, the Navy began converting four of its Ohio-class submarines to carry conventional cruise missiles and SEAL (Sea-Air-Land) commandos or other special forces. With the end of the Cold War, the Navy decided it no longer needed to use all 18 Ohio-class submarines as part of its strategic force. The conversion enabled the Navy to adapt to the new realities of the war on terrorism.

B.

Aircraft Carriers

Each U.S. Navy aircraft carrier has a variety of aircraft, including fighters, bombers, and aircraft for airborne surveillance and early warning, electronic warfare, antisubmarine warfare, and logistics. Carriers stand as the most capable warships at sea. The carrier is the core of a large group of vessels known as a carrier battle group, which includes 12 to 15 other vessels, including destroyers, cruisers, and supply ships.

A Nimitz-class aircraft carrier weighs about 90,000 metric tons and carries 85 to 90 aircraft. By comparison, a Russian aircraft carrier weighs about 61,200 metric tons and carries about 20 aircraft. A typical load of aircraft for a Nimitz-class carrier consists of the following: F/A-18 Hornets (20-24 planes) for air-to-air combat or ground attack; F-14 Tomcats (20-24 planes) for air defense of the carrier; FA-6E Intruders (14 planes) for all-weather bomber attack; E-A6B Prowlers (5 planes) for electronic warfare; S-3A Vikings (8 planes) for antisubmarine warfare; and SH-60 Sea Hawks (4 helicopters) for search-and-rescue and for antisubmarine warfare.

Other aircraft on board might include support airplanes and the AV-8B Harrier—the vertical takeoff and landing attack aircraft used by the Marines. This array of aircraft can strike enemy aircraft, surface ships, or submarines, as well as ground targets deep in enemy territory. Some of the carrier’s aircraft employ electronic warfare, using special electronics to jam enemy communications and to cloak U.S. forces from detection by the enemy. Because of its varied and long-range fighting capabilities, the aircraft carrier also serves a central role in maintaining sea control.

C.

Surface Warships

The U.S. Navy’s surface warships, including cruisers, destroyers, and frigates, can perform a variety of roles. Typically about a dozen surface combat ships escort an aircraft carrier to protect it from enemy attack. Cruisers and destroyers possess extensive antiair, antisubmarine, and antisurface weapons, putting them at the heart of the carrier’s defense. Frigates are designed to escort shipping and also can be used as part of a carrier battle group. Many surface warships carry helicopters, which add an important dimension to antisubmarine warfare, antiship surveillance, and targeting operations. Surface warships also operate independent of carrier battle groups, supporting amphibious landings, bombarding coastlines, attacking distant enemy targets with cruise missiles, and other missions.

D.

Attack Submarines

Powerful, quiet attack submarines can sink enemy submarines and ships with torpedoes, lay mines off enemy ports, monitor enemy ships and coastal activities, deploy and support special operations units, and launch cruise missile strikes against land targets. The U.S. Navy maintains more than 50 of these so-called hunter-killer submarines.

E.

Land-Based Naval Aircraft

The U.S. Navy’s land-based aircraft support its ocean deployments. Long-range antisubmarine planes detect, track, and destroy enemy submarines, and keep track of surface ships over large areas of ocean. The Navy’s communications aircraft allow the president of the United States to order submerged ballistic missile submarines to launch a nuclear attack. Many types of logistical aircraft provide transport, communications, and refueling support to U.S. forces.

F.

Amphibious Vessels

Amphibious forces, working together with the U.S. Marine Corps, provide the United States with an unmatched capability to send combat forces ashore nearly anywhere along the world's coastlines. Amphibious vessels transport Marines into battle along with their equipment and can provide supplies during combat. See Naval Vessels.