Recently, the question of whether the US aircraft carrier "Eisenhower" was sunk has become a hot topic.
The Yemeni Husai armed forces issued statements on May 31 and June 1, stating that they launched attacks on the aircraft carrier and "successfully hit the target.".
On June 17th local time, the Associated Press released a video stating that the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier was not damaged, and the carrier captain denied rumors in the video that the USS Eisenhower had sunk.
The Associated Press also stated that the US Navy is facing "the most intense naval battle since World War II.". Since the end of last year, the Husai armed forces have launched attacks almost every day.
In the Red Sea, Navy Lieutenant Colonel Eric Bloomberg of the USS Laburne destroyer said, "We lost all 'one mistake', but the Houser armed forces were able to 'succeed' in one fell swoop."
US media releases the latest video claiming that the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier is undamaged
On June 17th local time, the Associated Press released a video stating that the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier was not damaged. It is said that this video was filmed from June 11th to 12th, and the captain of the aircraft carrier denied rumors that the USS Eisenhower had sunk in the video.
On the evening of May 31st and June 1st, the Yemeni Husai armed forces issued statements for two consecutive days, stating that they had launched attacks on the Eisenhower aircraft carrier and "successfully hit the target.".
Since then, the outside world has been very concerned about the situation of this aircraft carrier. The US military has also released videos multiple times, attempting to prove that the aircraft carrier is "intact and unscathed.".
The USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the United States
According to the Global Times citing the website of Business Insider in the United States, based solely on paper data, it is very difficult for the missiles armed with Houser to break through the heavy defenses of the US carrier strike group and hit the target. The aircraft carrier strike group consists of the Eisenhower aircraft carrier, the Philippine Sea cruiser, and two destroyers, the Graveley and Mason. The Eisenhower is equipped with an E-2D shipborne early warning system to detect hundreds of aerial targets within a 500 kilometer range. Under its command, the Super Hornet carrier based fighter jet serves as the outermost defense of the carrier strike group, capable of intercepting incoming cruise missiles or drones from 800 kilometers away. The Philippine Sea cruiser can coordinate and command the launch of the Standard-2 and Standard-3 long-range anti-aircraft missiles with a range of 200 kilometers from the Grafley and Mason Aegis destroyers. In addition, the aircraft carrier strike group is equipped with various medium and short-range air defense systems such as "Sea Sparrow", "Ram", and "Dense Array", making it difficult for conventional anti-ship missiles to penetrate and intercept.
Xinhua News Agency
However, the anti ship capability of the Husai armed forces is relatively weak. The report from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a British think tank, suggests that the organization has six types of anti-ship ballistic missiles and six types of anti-ship cruise missiles, but only the range of the "Persian Gulf" series short-range ballistic missiles and the "Mander" series anti-ship cruise missiles can barely meet the needs of attacking US aircraft carriers. However, the technical level of these missiles is not high. At the beginning of this year, the Husai armed forces launched dozens of anti-ship missiles at passing merchant ships, but only a few were hit. According to the website of the American Naval Academy, the Hussai armed forces recently fired five anti-ship ballistic missiles at a Greek cargo ship, three of which hit, but the ship suffered no casualties and maintained normal navigation capabilities. The Hussair armed anti-ship missile has unsatisfactory hit rates and damage effects when dealing with slow-moving and defenseless merchant ships, and the difficulty in attacking heavily protected US aircraft carrier strike groups can be imagined.
Interpretation by Chinese Experts
Chinese experts interviewed by the Global Times also stated that in addition to limited missile performance, Hu's armed attacks on US aircraft carriers face greater challenges - a lack of sustained tracking and surveillance capabilities for maritime targets. The position of the US aircraft carrier strike group is constantly changing, and it is difficult to provide accurate target information for anti-ship missiles solely relying on nearby small boats. The latter can only launch towards the approximate direction of the US aircraft carrier. Due to the lack of relay guidance, these missiles may have significant deviations, and the ability to detect them depends entirely on their collision with the enemy. The Husai armed forces also do not have satellites or drones to provide damage assessments. In short, the current Houser armed forces do not have the ability to directly break through the defense of US carrier strike groups.
"The most intense naval battle since World War II"? The US Navy is showing signs of exhaustion
Despite consecutive airstrikes on the Housai armed forces, in recent days they have attacked two cargo ships, demonstrating the fatigue of the US military in the Red Sea offensive and defense. The Associated Press recently reported that the US Navy is facing "the most intense naval battle since World War II.".
The Associated Press recently reported, citing US Navy officials and experts, that the current offensive and defensive battle between the US military and the Houser armed forces has become the "most intense naval battle" faced by the US Navy since World War II. The US military did not expect that the Hussai armed forces had evolved from using assault rifles and pickup trucks to seemingly inexhaustible drones, missiles, and other weapons. Since the end of last year, the Hussai armed forces have launched attacks almost every day.
According to the Associated Press, on board the US Navy's USS Rabun destroyer patrolling the waters near Yemen, paint near the missile vertical launch device can be seen to have been burned and peeled off due to frequent missile launches. Sometimes, the crew only has a few seconds to confirm the target of the Hussai armed fire, coordinate with other ships, and carry out interception and shooting as soon as possible. A US Navy commander, David Frodo, stated that this is a situation that occurs every day and every shift. Although the US military claims to have hit many important targets of the Houser armed forces, including radar stations, missile launch sites, arsenal, and other facilities, the attack capability of the Houser armed forces has not weakened, which forces US ships escorting in the Red Sea to remain vigilant at all times.
Hu Sai's Armed Warfare Law Update: US Forces Trapped in the Dilemma of "Unmanned War"
The US "National Interest" website has also noted that although the unmanned combat systems used by the Houser armed forces are not advanced in performance, they have gradually gained the initiative in this war of attrition through continuous and irregular attacks. For example, once the drones and missiles launched by the Houser armed forces take off, they will be immediately detected by nearby US radar and subsequently intercepted.
In contrast, in recent times, the Housai armed forces have been increasingly using suicide drones. This type of unmanned vessel has small targets and is difficult to detect when sailing on the sea. Even the US Navy's early warning aircraft, which is suitable for detecting its movements in the air, cannot patrol and monitor it 24 hours a day. This provides an opportunity for various suicide unmanned boats of the Husai armed forces to break through, and the large amount of explosives carried by them detonate near the ship underwater, causing much greater damage to the ship than cheap drones.
"The US Navy lost all 'one mistake', while Hussery was able to 'succeed' in one fell swoop."
"I don't think people really understand how serious the situation is, what we are doing, and how much threat these ships are still facing," said Navy Lieutenant Colonel Eric Bloomberg, who interviewed the Associated Press on board the USS Laborn in the Red Sea
He said, "We lost all 'one mistake', while the Husai armed forces were able to 'succeed' in one fell swoop."
The Housai armed forces launch missiles, drones, or other types of attacks almost every day towards the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the narrow Strait of Mandela.
The Associated Press reported that for decades, the US Navy has been prepared for possible combat with the Soviet Union, later Russia, and China on world waterways. Nowadays, the US Navy is not engaged in fierce combat with a global power, but with a mysterious rebel organization based in Yemen supported by Iran.
US Navy leaders and experts told the Associated Press that the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has cast a shadow over the US led crackdown on the Hussein rebels, which has become the most intense prolonged naval battle faced by the US Navy since World War II.
Since November last year, the Housai armed forces have launched attacks almost every day, with over 50 ships clearly targeted. The volume of shipping to the important Red Sea corridor leading to the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean has also decreased.
The Hussein militants stated that the purpose of the attack is to stop the Gaza war and support the Palestinians, but this timing coincides with their attempt to strengthen their position in Yemen. All signs indicate that war will intensify, posing greater risks to American sailors, allies, and merchant ships.
During the oil tanker war in the Persian Gulf in the 1980s, the United States Navy had a period of combat experience, mainly when ships collided with mines, and attacks by the Houser armed forces included direct attacks on merchant ships and warships.
Brian Clark, a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute, who used to work as a US Navy submarine, said, "This is the most enduring battle the US Navy has ever experienced since World War II - undoubtedly, undoubtedly. What we are about to face is that the attacks launched by the Houser armed forces cannot be successfully stopped by the US every time, and then we will suffer significant damage. If allowed to develop, the Houser armed forces will become a more skilled, capable, and experienced force."
The Eisenhower aircraft carrier seems to be mostly parked at a distance, while destroyers like the Labun operate near Yemen for 6 out of 7 days - in naval jargon, this is a "weapons engagement zone.".
The Middle East naval battle still carries risks, which the US Navy is very aware of. During the 1987 Iraq Iraq War, an Iraqi fighter jet launched missiles and hit the USS Stark frigate patrolling the Persian Gulf, resulting in the death of 37 sailors and almost sinking the warship. In 2000, while refueling in the Yemeni port city of Aden, the USS Cole was attacked by a suicide bombing by Al Qaeda, resulting in the death of 17 people on board.
On June 12th, an Associated Press reporter saw the "Cole" and "Laborn" cruising in the Red Sea. On the same day, the Hussain armed forces launched an unmanned boat attack on a merchant ship there, causing serious damage to the ship and making it unable to sail. Rear Admiral Mark Miggs, commander of the US Navy's Second Carrier Combat Group, said that the Navy also destroyed a drone launched by the Houser armed forces during this operation. The second aircraft carrier battle group includes the Eisenhower aircraft carrier and several support vessels.
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