Yemen Ends Era of U.S. Warships; Threat Becomes Washington’s Nightmare
According to a report by webangah News Agency, Al Jazeera has highlighted the declining effectiveness of aircraft carriers in global conflicts, describing the USS Gerald R. Ford as a ”floating city on water.” As one of America’s newest and most advanced carriers, it entered service in 2017 during Donald Trump’s first presidential term. Weighing over 100,000 tons, it symbolizes U.S. naval dominance-mobile airfields capable of deploying dozens of fighter jets.
The proliferation of long-range offensive weapons, including hypersonic missiles, anti-ship missiles, and low-cost drones, has rendered these multi-billion-dollar assets vulnerable. U.S. defense secretary Pete Hagestad recently expressed doubts about their value,stating that just 15 hypersonic missiles coudl sink 10 American carriers within 20 minutes.
Yemen: A Threat to U.S. Carriers
The U.S.operates the world’s largest fleet: 11 nuclear-powered carriers-more than all other nations combined (Europe’s UK, France, Spain; allies like japan). Deployed in the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Persian Gulf at $13 billion per unit (plus $4.7 billion in R&D), they enforce maritime trade dominance despite soaring operational costs.
The Ford-class can remain at sea for 20 years without refueling due to onboard nuclear reactors spans 335 meters with capacity for crew and aircraft totaling nearly .Yet military journalist Stafros Atlamaoğlu warns their era is fading as adversaries deploy cheap missiles/drones capable sinking them rewriting naval warfare rules.
Hypersonic Missiles Retire Carriers
China’s DF-27 ballistic missile unveiled poses existential threat: maneuvering warheads traveling Mach speeds evade defenses strike targets kilometers away April attack Yemeni forces targeted USS harry Truman though Navy claimed operations continued repositioned fleets avoid further strikes past incidents survived attacks unscathed analysts note pattern vulnerability emerging.
Swarm Drones: Low-Cost Killers
In simulation off California Swedish mini-submarine successfully sank mock Reagan-class carrier proving small platforms’ lethality meanwhile drones shift power balances regional conflicts surveillance/attack models costing fraction traditional systems reports suggest two drone strikes could disable even sink carrier BBC analyst Jonathan Head notes vessels may succumb minutes weapons worth less few thousand dollars each Brookings Institution Michael O’Hanlon August raised cost concerns ex-Special Forces officer Steve Balistrieri declared carrier age over questioning fate onboard fighters if one sinks./(News Sources © webangah News Agency Mehr News Agency)/div
