Why the Age of the Aircraft Carrier Isn't Over Just Yet
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By Dan Gouré
February 01, 2021
Critics of the modern aircraft carrier too often focus only on the alleged vulnerabilities of the ship and fail to address the role of the carrier air wing.
Large-deck nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be a key part of the Navy’s force structure for the next half-century, at a minimum. The primary reason for this is the remarkable adaptability and flexibility of the carrier air wing. When the current, evolving air wing is married to the functional improvements embodied in the new Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN), the result will be an advanced military capability of unparalleled flexibility, mobility, effectiveness, efficiency, and reach. The ability to tailor the carrier air wing to specific mission requirements, and even to add non-traditional aerial platforms into the mix means that the Navy will continue to project military power over great distances and across the spectrum of conflict for decades to come.
Since the advent of carrier-based aviation in the early 1930s, the United States has deployed twelve classes of purpose-built aircraft carriers, three of which (the Enterprise, Nimitz, and Ford) are nuclear powered. In that same period, some 200 different aircraft have flown from the decks of U.S. carriers. By continually modifying the mix of aircraft in its air wing, the Navy has been able to maintain the relevance and unique contributions of naval aviation to U.S. military power, despite continuously evolving threats.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/02/01/why_the_age_of_the_aircraft_carrier_isnt_over_just_yet_658632.html
