The world’s most powerful navy is none other than the United States. But how strong is the U.S. naval power? It is difficult to answer this question accurately and comprehensively. This is because the U.S. Navy is equipped with the world’s most sophisticated weapons, such as the well-known 10 supercarrier battle groups, and possesses an air and sea strike force that can cover any corner of the globe. However, the combat power of just a few of the usual warships, submarines and naval aircraft, as well as the development of naval laser guns, provide a glimpse of how powerful the current and future U.S. Navy will be.
Berkeley Class Destroyer
Berkeley-class destroyer. (Wikipedia)
This is the mainstay of the U.S. Navy, the most numerous ship built in the world, with 68 ships currently in service. It is the most powerful guided missile destroyer in the world. With a displacement of nearly 10,000 tons, the Berkeley-class destroyer is even larger in tonnage and combat power than the average cruiser. It is important to emphasize that the Berkeley-class destroyers were commissioned in 1991 and are equipped with the world’s most advanced electronic defense and attack integration system, Aegis, which is capable of analyzing and defending against enemy attacks while managing and activating its own strike systems. A single Berkeley destroyer can coordinate the operations of the entire fleet, for example, with the E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning electronic warfare aircraft to extend the strike range.
Berkeley-class destroyer. (Wikipedia)
The Berkeley destroyer is equipped with a variety of missile launchers that can launch Sea Sparrow missiles, Standard I and II medium-range missiles, as well as Standard VI long-range missiles and even Standard III ballistic missiles against specific targets. The destroyers are also equipped with shipboard anti-submarine helicopters for long-range submarine attack missions. Of course, the Berkeley destroyer is also equipped with other conventional weapons, such as the MK46 anti-submarine torpedo, MK25mm machine gun, M-2 heavy machine gun and the Dense Square Proximity Defense System.
EA-18G Growler shipboard electronic warfare aircraft
EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft.
The EA-18G uses the latest directional jamming systems to cut off enemy contact while maintaining normal communications. medium-range air-to-air missiles or AGM-88 high-speed anti-radiation missiles.
Virginia Class Submarines
The Virginia-class attack submarine.
This is a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine developed during the Cold War, with a displacement of 7,900 tons, a hull length of 115 meters, and a maximum dive depth of 450-600 meters, which can operate in both deep and offshore areas. There are currently 19 Virginia-class submarines in service, and the Navy plans to build a total of 66. The submarine features many innovative designs, such as replacing traditional periscopes with fiber-optic sensors for clearer observation of targets at night and silent propulsion for maximum concealment from enemy detection. The submarine’s head is equipped with an advanced sonar system that is very sensitive to detect mines. In addition, it is equipped with dozens of 533mm torpedo tubes firing MK-48 torpedoes, as well as all-weather BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Ohio Class Nuclear Powered Cruise Missile Submarine
This is the giant of submarines, with a submerged displacement of nearly 19,000 tons, a hull 170 meters long and 13 meters wide, and the ability to survive underwater for dozens of days. The four most well-known Ohio-class cruise missile submarines in the world are the USS Ohio, USS Michigan, USS Florida and USS Georgia, each equipped with 154 cruise missiles. Because the U.S. military is in compliance with the nuclear weapons treaty, 22 of the 24 launch tubes of the four former nuclear-tipped Trident I (C-4) ballistic missiles have been converted to fire the BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile, a submarine cruise missile with a range of 1,127 kilometers. all-weather subsonic cruise missile with a launch range of 1,127 kilometers.
Tomahawk cruise missile launch from an Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine.
On March 19, 2011, the Ohio-class Florida ballistic missile submarine launched 93 Tomahawks during Operation Odyssey Dawn against the Libyan dictatorship. “cruise missiles, destroying Libyan air defenses, command centers and other strategic targets. The Ohio-class cruise missile submarine can carry up to four platoons of 66 soldiers and may be converted to a mothership for unmanned submarines in the future.
One of the equipment of the future: the shipboard laser gun
Laser guns are a sci-fi style weapon. As early as 2017, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ponce successfully test-fired a 30KW laser gun to destroy drone targets and targets on small boats. In May 2020, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet amphibious landing ship USS Portland test-fired a 150KW laser cannon in Hawaiian waters, successfully shooting down a drone target.
The laser cannon on the amphibious landing ship USS Ponce.
The Navy said that the laser gun power to meet the requirements of actual combat should reach 200-300KW, the current test equipment is not yet able to reach this level. The cost of the laser gun is less than one dollar per shot and it is in line with international weapons conventions, so its application prospects are incalculable. Of course, in addition to the laser gun, the U.S. Navy now has many other cutting-edge equipment, such as shipboard unmanned warplanes, unmanned helicopters, etc. These new equipment will add even more power to the Navy in the coming years.
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