74 to 78 aircraft: what a US carrier air wing carries
Published
A modern US Navy carrier air wing has roughly 1,500 people and 74 to 78 aircraft[1]. The ship carries them, but the wing is what gives a carrier its reach.
What flies from the deck
The wing is built from squadrons[2][3][5]:
| Squadron | Aircraft |
|---|---|
| 4 strike fighter squadrons | 10 or 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets each |
| 1 electronic attack squadron | 7 EA-18G Growlers |
| 1 airborne command and control squadron | 4 E-2C or 5 E-2D Hawkeyes |
| 1 helicopter sea combat squadron | 8 MH-60S Seahawks |
| 1 helicopter maritime strike squadron | 11 MH-60R Seahawks |
The strike fighters are the bulk of it: four squadrons of 10 to 12 make 40 to 48 Super Hornets[2].
In game
Hostile Flagship keeps the two roles that matter most to a commander: the fighters and the eyes.
- The design wing is 44 Strikers in 4 squadrons of 11, in the middle of the real 10 to 12 per squadron. You can see the full wing in the carrier-group exhibit.
- The playable fleet today is smaller: the carrier, 4 Strikers (one each of Mk0 to Mk3) and 2 Hawkeyes, all starting docked.
- The Striker takes the Super Hornet’s role and size: 18 m long in game, against the Super Hornet’s 18.31 m[4].
- The Hawkeye takes the E-2’s airborne command and control role. In game it is unarmed and always flies evasive.
- The hangar module has room for 70 craft.
Electronic attack, helicopters and transport aircraft are not modelled. The game is about one carrier running the operation, so the jobs of a real strike group’s escorts fold into the carrier itself, including its own point defence.
Related
- 350 m long, 80,000 hull: the carrier
- 10 g and 500 m/s: the Striker fighter
- 4,500 rounds a minute: how the Phalanx defends a ship
Sources
- Carrier air wing, Wikipedia.
A modern air wing consists of roughly 1,500 personnel and 74–78 aircraft.
- Carrier air wing: composition, Wikipedia.
Four strike fighter (VFA) squadrons with ten or twelve F/A-18E/F Super Hornets each
- Carrier air wing: composition, Wikipedia.
One airborne command and control (VAW) squadron with four E-2C Hawkeyes or five E-2D "Advanced" Hawkeyes.
- Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet: specifications, Wikipedia.
Length: 60 ft 1.25 in (18.31 m)
- Carrier air wing: composition, Wikipedia.
One electronic attack (VAQ) squadron, made up of seven EA-18G Growlers … One helicopter sea combat (HSC) squadron of eight MH-60S Seahawks … One helicopter maritime strike (HSM) squadron of eleven MH-60R Seahawks