Aircraft carriers are just too expensive. If one were to be sunk, even the United States couldn't afford it.
- CosDream News

- Jun 11, 2024
- 4 min read
"The deterrent power of aircraft carriers cannot be ignored, but once lost, the impact will be extremely severe.
This sentence has sparked widespread discussion, with people speculating about the speaker and the reasons behind it.
The aircraft carrier of each country symbolizes the strength and power of the nation.
What is the implicit information in this sentence?
What are people speculating as the aircraft carrier killer?
Why can't the United States afford to lose an aircraft carrier?
The overall capability of the US aircraft carriers dominates globally, making its carrier strike groups even more powerful.
Each aircraft carrier is a colossal presence at sea, and with the United States owning 11 aircraft carriers, it puts immense pressure on other countries.
The US Navy has over 340 warships, with about one-third of them being aircraft carrier strike groups with superlative capabilities.
A carrier strike group not only includes an aircraft carrier but also five or six destroyers and frigates.
Therefore, if a carrier strike group is attacked or sunk, it would mean significant losses of the US Navy and elite forces.
To protect carrier strike groups from attacks by hostile nations, the US tends to deploy them frequently, sending fleets to the waters of other countries.
Additionally, the US demands the freedom of navigation for its warships in any maritime domain worldwide, hence the reason for the US's "dominance of global waters with carrier strike groups".
As such, the US's carrier strike groups are also one of the crucial forces of the US military.
The core power of a carrier strike group is equivalent to the military force of a medium-sized country.
Furthermore, to enhance the carriers' mobility, US carrier strike groups are widely dispersed across the major oceans of the world.
There are 5 to 6 carrier strike groups operating in global waters each year.
This significantly drains the US military budget but does not diminish the US's efforts in developing new weapons to maintain world peace.
This also enhances the overall strength of the US military.
Thus, with US carrier strike groups deployed globally and ready to act, aircraft carriers are like live walls protecting US national security and people's lives, earning them the title of "seaborne fortress".
However, the cost of an aircraft carrier is exorbitant, reaching billions of dollars.
If ten carrier strike groups were lost, it would result in trillions of dollars in losses, which neither the US nor the world could afford.
Once maritime supremacy is lost, so too will the US's military hegemony.
Worse still, the US's national strength will also be affected, and its deterrent power greatly diminished.
The US has always maintained world order through dominance.
The consequences of such actions will lead to the decline of great powers.
The threat of the DF-21 missile has made the US anxious.
With the development of a batch of new drones, China has made significant contributions in this area.
The US has to admit that China is at the forefront of drone technology.
Therefore, the US has always been wary of China, especially regarding China's latest development, the DF-21 missile, which the US military refers to as the "carrier killer".
The DF-21 missile is a major achievement of China's missile technology and poses a devastating blow to carrier strike groups.
With a range of 1700 kilometers, it poses a significant threat to carrier strike groups.
The US military considers carrier strike groups as treasures because they can quickly address problems globally, safeguard US national security, and possess the deterrent power of a seaborne fortress.
However, with the advancement of China's missile technology, the US has started to worry about the safety of its carriers.
The US has always valued aircraft carriers, indicating their irreplaceability in military terms.
However, China's DF-21 missile leaves no escape route for US carrier strike groups, especially with its capability to maneuver within the atmosphere.
This increases the missile's accuracy, and even though the US has conducted test firings with stealth bombers and fighters, the missile still accurately locks onto its target.
The US initially didn't find the DF-21 missile surprising until China publicly disclosed its strategy in 2010.
This made the US uneasy.
The US has always been wary of China's development, and China's new weapons pose an undeniable threat to the US military.
With the increase in China's advanced aircraft technology and quantity, the US military is also concerned.
The US military is worried about China's carrier strike groups.
After discovering that China's DF-21 missile poses a significant threat, the US is concerned about the Chinese navy and has even implemented targeted countermeasures.
The US knows well that if China imposes a maritime blockade, it would endanger US maritime hegemony and global dominance.
Therefore, US ballistic missiles and nuclear submarines will be on standby as a countermeasure against China.
Although the US also has a batch of "carrier killers" that can deal with the DF-21 missile, it still worries greatly, as it would have a tremendous impact on itself.
The US's carrier strike groups often cruise in waters worldwide, but they are also vulnerable to military strikes from other countries.
Although the US's carrier strike groups have a certain self-defense capability, facing China's DF-21 missile, their chances of survival are very slim.
In such a situation, carrier strike groups would have no survival space, and if struck, it would have a tremendous impact on the US.
This is a consequence that the US cannot afford and would further strengthen the Chinese navy, affecting international politics.
While carriers are still the core force after strategic missiles, having just one or two carriers is not enough to become a true maritime hegemon.
Only carrier strike groups with carriers at their core can have higher survivability and combat power.
Carriers still symbolize maritime supremacy in today's world, but with technological advancements, carriers also face increasing challenges and threats."











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