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The aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower was finally in sight. The pilot of the F/A-18 Super Hornet hurriedly flipped switches and pushed levers. The aviator in the backseat leaned forward, straining to see the flight deck floating in the distance. The jet’s right engine had locked up, its landing gear jammed, the main fuel tank almost empty.(snip) The pilot made some quick calculations. He had 15,500 pounds of fuel in his tanks, enough to return to the Eisenhower and make six passes at the ship. Landing in nearby Kandahar was a more prudent option, but that would likely have meant...

India already uses Israel's Barak 1 missile system for anti-ship missile defense and is considering the more advanced Barak 8. India has publically declined a Russian offer to equip its new aircraft carrier with the Kashtan close-in weapon system, preferring systems from either Israel or France, the Strategy Page website reports. The aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, was refurbished by Russia from an old Russian carrier, while the Kashtan system, which has been in service since 1989, uses two six-barrel 30mm autocannon to destroy nearby anti-ship missiles. But India has made no secret of its dissatisfaction with the delays and cost...

Just 5 months ago ( July 10, 2013 ) the Navy successfully conducted take-offs and landings from a fairly new nuclear aircraft carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, with a new stealth jet called the X-47B. What is so different about this plane is the fact that it is a 'drone'. Yes, it is completely unmanned. Drones come in all sizes, and the X-47B is likely one of the larger ones. Note that this aircraft is stealth, meaning the enemy cannot detect a plane like this in the first place. In the unlikely event they get lucky at shooting one...

Plans to permanently retire the USS George Washington and bring the NavyÂ’s carrier-fleet total down to 10 are still being debated in ongoing budget deliberations despite reports the White House has scrapped any plans to reduce the carrier total.Some of the uncertainty centers around potential funding for the mid-life refueling for the USS George Washington in the upcoming 2015 budget submission, dollars which may still be uncertain or under review, Capitol Hill and Pentagon sources said.The uncertainty comes amid widespread discussion about whether the Defense DepartmentÂ’s upcoming 2015 budget proposal will remove funding for one aircraft carrier and bring the...

China plans to build four aircraft carriers in total to boost its naval power and exert its maritime claims, according to a Russian media report. Official reports in January said that the PLA plans to have at least two aircraft carriers by 2015 or 2016 and said the country's second aircraft carrier is indeed under construction as previous unofficial reports had claimed. The country plans to build four aircraft carriers in total, the state newswire Xinhua citing a Russian weekly newspaper as reporting. China commissioned the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet-era carrier purchased from Ukraine, in 2012. Future carriers are expected...

India’s refurbished Soviet-made aircraft carrier Vikramaditya suffered a boiler failure during her 42-day trip from Russia’s Sevmash shipyard, where she was rebuilt, to the Indian Karwar naval base on the country’s west coast starting in late November. Like many Cold War-era warships, Vikramaditya is powered by complex steam boilers that can be unreliable and even dangerous. The Indian flattop had suffered an earlier boiler problem in 2012 during sea trials off the Russian coast—the ceramic insulating tiles failed, causing a boiler to overheat and shut down.

Turkey took a major step in altering the naval balance in the eastern Mediterranean by contracting the construction of a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship. In late December 2013, Turkey took a major step in altering the naval balance in the eastern Mediterranean by contracting the construction of a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship that can function as an aircraft carrier, potentially providing Turkey an unprecedented measure of sea control in the region. The heightened threat perception for Israel, Cyprus and Greece will impact the imminent decision regarding whether Israel will export its natural gas to a planned Cypriot LNG terminal with...

Angola’s bizarre, rumored aircraft carrier ambition David Axe in War is Boring Angola is in the process of acquiring the recently-decommissioned Spanish aircraft carrier Principe de Asturias, according to one news report. The entire Angolan navy has just 1,000 sailors. The 643-foot-long Principe de Asturias needs 830 sailors to fully function. No, this does not make a lot of sense. After all, Angola has no overseas military alliances and no major naval rivals. But if true, it is consistent with the country’s ongoing re-armament, which also includes a squadron of Russian-made heavy jet fighters formerly used by India. Necessary or...

Here’s a penny for your thoughts: One red cent could’ve landed you the Navy’s first supercarrier, the decommissioned Forrestal. The U.S. Navy sold the 1,067-foot behemoth to a Texas company, All Star Metals, to be dismantled, scrapped and recycled, Navy officials announced. It's an inauspicious fate for a ship with a colorful — and tragic — history. It's perhaps best known for a 1967 incident in which stray voltage triggered an accidental explosion that struck a plane on the flight deck whose cockpit was occupied by a young John McCain. A chain reaction of blasts and fires ultimately killed 134...

Japan launched a twenty-seven-thousand ton “destroyer” (the Izumo, DDH 183) on August 6th that looks exactly like an aircraft carrier. Actually it looks like an LPH (Landing Platform Helicopter) an amphibious ship type that first appeared in the 1950s. LPHs had no (or relatively few) landing craft but did carry a thousand or more troops who were moved ashore using the dozen or more helicopters carried. The first American LPH (the USS Iwo Jima) was an eighteen-thousand-four-hundred ton ship that entered service in 1961, and carried two-thousand troops and twenty-five helicopters. Until Izumo showed up, several nations operated LPHs, and...

Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, a huge flat-top destroyer that has raised eyebrows in China and elsewhere because it bears a strong resemblance to a conventional aircraft carrier. The ship, which has a flight deck that is nearly 820 feet long, is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters. Japanese officials say it will be used in national defense -- particularly in anti-submarine warfare and border-area surveillance missions -- and to bolster the nation's ability to transport personnel and supplies in response to large-scale natural disasters, like the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011....

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) -- Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest warship since World War II, a huge flat-top destroyer that has raised eyebrows in China and elsewhere because it bears a strong resemblance to a conventional aircraft carrier. The ship, which has a flight deck that is nearly 250 meters (820 feet) long, is designed to carry up to 14 helicopters. Japanese officials say it will be used in national defense - particularly in anti-submarine warfare and border-area surveillance missions - and to bolster the nation's ability to transport personnel and supplies in response to large-scale natural disasters, like the...

China certifies first aircraft carrier pilots China has certified its first pilots deck crew for aircraft carrier operations following a 25-day training deployment by the nation's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. During the cruise, pilots "executed several continuous take-off and landing exercises, making China one of the few countries in the world that can train its own carrier-borne jet pilots", according to a statement on China's defence ministry website. The certifications were awarded to five pilots and an unstated number of landing signal officers after they were tested on skills related to the operation of fixed wing aircraft from a...

Several countries interested in buying ex-Spanish Navy Aircraft Carrier Principe de Asturias According to rumors that emerged recently in the Spanish press, the Philippines as well as several Arab countries have expressed interest in purchasing the former Spanish Navy Aircraft Carrier Principe de Asturias. In case of a sale, the contract would include refit and upgrading of the vessel by Spanish shipyard Navantia. The Spanish aircraft carrier SPS Principe De Asturias (R 11) steams through the Atlantic Ocean while participating in Majestic Eagle 2004. (Picture: US Navy) It is reported that Indonesia already expressed interest in the vessel earlier this...

Navy eyes high-tech options for future aircraft carriers General Atomics briefs navy on magnetic catapult that launches unmanned fighters The Indian Navy — one of just nine navies that operate aircraft carriers — is thinking high-tech in planning its second indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vishal. The admirals are deciding whether INS Vishal, still only a concept, should launch aircraft from its deck using a technology so advanced that it is not yet in service anywhere: the Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). Getting a fully loaded combat aircraft airborne off a short, 200-metre-long deck is a key challenge in aircraft carrier...

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (NNS) -- USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) (IKE) is one of several U.S. Navy ships training British Sailors on large-deck flight operations as the United Kingdom prepares to launch the first Royal Navy aircraft carrier in more than 30 years. The US-UK Long Lead Specialist Skills Program (LLSSP) commenced in early 2013 with British Sailors aboard IKE and Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). The program is an opportunity for British Sailors to regain operational experience at sea while their carriers are under construction. "The training the guys have received on board...

Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Monday a milestone in the construction of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) with the addition of the ship’s upper bow section at Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) in Virginia. The upper bow completes the ship’s flight deck and extends the overall length of the carrier to its full size, which measures 1,106 feet. “Placement of the upper bow gives our entire shipbuilding team a great sense of accomplishment,” said Rolf Bartschi, NNS’ vice president, CVN 78 carrier construction. “We have now structurally erected the flight deck to its full length.” The 787 metric...

LAAD 2013: DCNS reveals Brazilian carrier design DCNS is offering an adapted version of its PA2 design for a future Brazilian aircraft carrier. A model of a 60,000t displacement 285m-long PA2 carrier is being shown by the company at the LAAD exhibition in Rio de Janeiro. Eric Perrot, DCNS surface ships project director, told Shephard that the Brazilian Navy had plans to acquire one or two new aircraft carriers to replace their existing carrier, NAe Sao Paulo, after 2025. The Brazilian Navy released a request for proposals (RfP) in 2012 for specifications for aircraft carriers and Perrot said that DCNS...

The Defence Secretary was in Scotland today to watch an enormous bridge section fitted to the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier. During a visit to Rosyth shipyard, Mr Hammond oversaw the 700-tonne section being lifted into place on the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth. Nearly two thirds of the ship has now been built and the structure is due to be completed by the end of this year. The carrier is then expected to leave the dockyard in 2014 before beginning sea trials with the Royal Navy. The forward island, fitted today, houses the bridge where the captain and navigation...

On the right the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) passes the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Red Sea's Strait of Bab el-Mandeb on June 21, 2011. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060917.htm (medium, large) The Photographer Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (MC2) Brooks B. Patton Jr., United States Navy