Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:49:59-2:52:19

Why LHA light carriers do not relieve the CVN fleet

F-35B light carriers lack the complete air group, especially airborne early warning, needed to substitute for American nuclear carriers.

Airborne Early WarningAircraft CarriersF-35BForce StructureLHAUS Navy
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Question

Should the US build more LHAs or Japanese-style helicopter carriers to help the CVN fleet?

Short answer

Not in their current form; without a full support air group they cannot provide the capability needed to relieve or complement CVNs effectively.

Notes

LHA and Japanese helicopter-carrier air groups are valuable for amphibious warfare, but even a dense F-35B load does not reproduce the surveillance and support aircraft of a CVN. The United States lacks a suitable helicopter or drone airborne-warning system for those decks. A genuine adjunct would likely need a 45,000- to 50,000-ton gas-powered carrier and a political consensus that it supplements rather than replaces the nuclear force.