How Carrier Battle Groups Work (2024)

If you've read the HowStuffWorks article How Aircraft Carriers Work, then you know about many of the amazing features of aircraft carriers:

What this means is that an aircraft carrier is worth between $4 billion and $5 billion -- it is a substantial investment by itself. Plus, it is carrying a small town's worth of people as well as a billion dollars in aircraft.

In other words, an aircraft carrier is extremely valuable. And without protection, an aircraft carrier is extremely vulnerable. That's why aircraft carriers never leave home alone. They are always escorted by an extensive flotilla of other ships. The aircraft carrier plus the flotilla is known as the carrier battle group. A modern carrier battle group is nearly invincible.

In this article, you will learn about these powerful collections of military force and see why they have become so important to U.S. naval operations.

Contents

1. The Carrier
2. The Carrier Battle Group
3. The Carrier Battle Group in Action

An aircraft carrier allows the U.S. navy to move an entire airport, along with 70 to 80 figh

Because aircraft carriers are so valuable, because they are so powerful and because they are so few in number (the U.S. has only 12 of them, with two under construction [ ref]), they are very obvious targets for enemy forces. Aircraft carriers are also huge and impossible to hide. They are vulnerable from several different angles:

The carrier battle group is responsible, therefore, for protecting the aircraft carrier at the center of the group.

The U.S. Navy forms carrier battle groups on an as-needed basis and assigns ships to the group based on the mission. Therefore, no two carrier battle groups are the same. However, a typical carrier battle group consists of the following ships:

The aircraft carrier itself

Two guided-missile cruisers

These are offensive ships loaded with cruise missiles to strike land targets

Two destroyers

Destroyers traditionally are defensive ships. They can defend against attacks by submarines and aircraft ( Nav Facts: Destroyers provides a very nice description of the evolution of destroyers). Destroyers now also come equipped with the ability to launch cruise missiles.

One frigate

The frigate is used for anti-submarine defense.

Two submarines

The submarines are defensive ships that can attack enemy ships and submarines.

A supply ship

The supply ship carries fuel, food and ammunition for the group.

There may be other ships that travel with the group. For example, there may be troop ships, amphibious ships for the marines, cargo ships carrying tanks and other equipment, mine sweepers, etc. It all depends on the mission.

When a carrier battle group arrives at its destination, the 10 or so ships deploy and begin operations. There are approximately 80 aircraft available, and perhaps 8,000 men and women at work. There are two goals:

The defensive role is an around-the-clock operation. Carrier battle groups must be constantly vigilant against attack from the air, from the sea and from underwater.

To accomplish its mission, a carrier air wing typically consists of nine squadrons, with 70 to 80 total aircraft. The more notable aircraft include:

The F/A-18 Hornet - A single-seat strike fighter jet designed to take out enemy aircraft as well as ground targets

The F-14 Tomcat - A two-seat fighter jet optimized for air superiority (A carrier's F-14 squadron is a crucial weapon in protecting the carrier battle group.)

The E-2C Hawkeye - A tactical warning and control system aircraft (The aircraft's advanced radar system lets the air wing keep the fighter jets updated on enemy activity.)

The S-3B Viking - A subsonic jet aircraft primarily used to take out enemy submarines

The EA-6B Prowler - An electronic warfare aircraft (The Prowler's mission is to jam enemy radar and intercept enemy communications.)

The SH-60 Seahawk - A twin-engine helicopter primarily used to attack enemy submarines and in search-and-rescue operations

To provide a defensive view of the area, the destroyers have powerful radar systems that look upward to search for incoming aircraft. The E-2C Hawkeye aircraft launched from the carrier fly overhead and use their radar to look downward, letting them see low-flying aircraft and ships that may be approaching from over the horizon. The destroyers and frigate use sonar and magnetic sensors to look for submarines approaching from underwater. The goal is to create a sealed bubble around the carrier, with nothing able to enter the bubble without approval.

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