STRIKING FROM THE SEA

Aircraft carriers, which have played a central role in the Persian Gulf operation from the start, are essentially floating airports. Their primary mission is to refuel, re-arm, and protect their aircraft. The vessels’ air-to-air, air-to-surface, and cruise missile are used both offensively-to hit land and floating targets--and defensively. A-6 Intruder (Crew of 2): The A-6 Intruder is a carrier-borne, low-level attack bomber specifically designed to deliver a variety of ordnance on targets obscured by inclement weather or darkness F/A-18 Hornet (Crew of 1): The F/A-18 Hornet is a Navy and Marine Corps multimission fighter and attack aircraft. It was designed for traditional strike applications. It also supplements the F-14 Tomcat in fleet air defense. F-14 Tomcat (Crew of 2): The F-14 Tomcat jet fighter is the Navy’s premier air superiority and fleet defense interceptor. This fighter carries a sophisticated all-weather fire control system used with the Phoenix, Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles. In tests, the Phoenix missile has hit targets such as cruise missiles 20 feet above the sea and a drone as high as 75,000 feet. Nimitz-Class Carrier: Carriers in the 90,400 -ton nuclear Nimitz class are the mightiest warships afloat. Each carries a wide variety of aircraft which generally includes 24 Tomcat, 24 F/A-18 Hornet, 10 A-6E and 4 KA-6D tanker, 4 E-2C Hawkeye, 4 EA-6B Prowler, 10 S-3A Viking and 6 SH-3H Sea King. This is a tactical air force larger than that of many nations. Flight Deck Features: A. Jet Blast Deflectors B. Catapult C. Aircraft Elevators D. Arresting Wires In positions around the carrier are the following defensive weapons: E. Vulcan Phalanx MK-15 20-mm Close-in Weapons System F. MK-29 Launcher for Sea Sparrow Displacement: (Nimitz) 72,798 tons light; 90,944 tons full load Performance: 30+ knots Dimensions: Length 1,092 ft; beam 134 ft; draught 37 ft. Red Sea: 1. Saratoga 2. John F. Kennedy 3. Theodore Roosevelt 4. America Persian Gulf: 5. Ranger 6. Midway