According to a report on the US Navy’s official website on the 19th, just as the USS Reagan aircraft carrier in Japan is about to go to the Middle East to support the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, another US aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, has carried out intensive training in Hawaiian waters. It is ready to fill the gap in Asia-Pacific combat power after the departure of the “Reagan”. It is worth noting that the “Carl Vinson”, which has just completed a major upgrade, is the first aircraft carrier that can carry both the F-35C stealth fighter and the “Osprey” tilt-rotor aircraft. Its combat equipment represents the next ten years of the U.S. Navy. The main aircraft carrier strike group mode.
According to the report, the Pacific Fleet stated in a press release that the “Carl Vinson” aircraft carrier completed a 17-month maintenance in August 2020, mainly carrying out upgrades to carry fifth-generation fighters, making it the first ship capable of carrying The carrier of the F-35C stealth fighter and the CMV-22B “Osprey” tilt-rotor aircraft. The upgrade includes strengthening the deck deflector so that it can withstand the hot tail flames of the F-35C carrier fighter. At the same time, it is also equipped with a new computer network, so that the aircraft carrier can support the unique maintenance and tactical operation functions of advanced fighters.
At present, the aircraft carrier is equipped with 3 F/A-18E/F “Super Hornet” fighter squadrons, 1 F-35C stealth fighter squadron, 1 EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare squadron, and 1 E-2D. “Eagle Eye” airborne early warning aircraft squadron and multiple helicopters.
It is worth noting that, compared with the “Reagan” aircraft carrier which has only 1 destroyer and 1 cruiser escort, the “Carl Vinson” escort ship has quietly undergone major changes: the main escort of the US aircraft carrier battle group “Tikander” The Roga-class cruiser disappeared for the first time and was replaced by five “Arleigh Burke”-class guided missile destroyers. In recent years, the U.S. Navy has considered decommissioning more than 10 Ticonderoga-class cruisers. This escort ship composition of the “Carl Vinson” aircraft carrier may become the standard equipment for future US aircraft carrier strike groups.
According to reports, the “Carl Vinson” aircraft carrier is part of the U.S. Navy’s Third Fleet in charge of the East Pacific. It mainly operates near the west coast of the United States. However, it has also traveled to the Western Pacific for several patrol missions before. According to reports, after the “Reagan” aircraft carrier travels to the Middle East, the “Carl Vinson” strike group will travel to the Indo-Pacific region to fill the “American aircraft carrier shortage” in the Asia-Pacific region.
