USS Gerald R Ford en route! Can Iran's torpedoes sink Ford-class carrier? 5 FACTS

The Trump administration has dispatched the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East to join a second carrier, as well as other warships and military assets that the US has built up in the region.

READ HERE | 90% chance of war: Inside the final days of US-Iran diplomacy

Dozens of U.S. fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s, have left bases in the U.S. and Europe in recent days to head to the Middle East, according to the Military Air Tracking Alliance—a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyses military and government flight activity. However, the intimidating presence of the USS Gerald R. Ford is said to deliver the message that Trump is not bluffing.

The Ford has a crew of about 4,500 personnel and roughly 75 aircraft, including Boeing F/A-18s and helicopters. This is in addition to the over 50 American fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22 Raptors, and F-16s, that were heading to the region on Tuesday evening. Dozens of tanker flights were recorded heading east, with one online military aviation tracker noting that "everything that can fly or refuel" is moving into the region.

READ HERE | US prepared to attack Iran this weekend, Trump to make final decision

The USS Gerald R. Ford was delivered to the US Navy in May 2017 and commissioned a month later. It is the lead ship of the US Navy's Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, designed to succeed the older Nimitz-class. It can carry up to approximately 90 aircraft, including fighters, electronic attack jets, early warning aircraft, and helicopters, giving it massive airpower projection.

Apart from its size, there are several other factors that make it a dominating presence against Tehran's naval forces:

1. Torpedo Defence Capability: The Gerald R. Ford's hull is built to withstand massive underwater shocks. While the secrets of its defensive suite have not been officially revealed, it is equipped with the Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD) system, which is designed to intercept incoming torpedoes before they hit the ship's hull.

2. Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWE): AWEs are high-tech lifts used on modern aircraft carriers to shift bombs, missiles, and other munitions quickly and safely from storage areas deep inside the ship to the flight deck. The Gerald R. Ford reportedly has eleven such lifts, which use electromagnetic motors rather than cables. These can carry 24,000 lbs of bombs at once and can move munitions from the magazines to the flight deck at 150 feet per minute—twice the speed of conventional aircraft carriers.

3. Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS): Aircraft carriers have several flexible steel cables stretched horizontally across their flight decks. They stand a few inches above the surface and, when a fighter jet touches down, an arresting hook is lowered from the tail of the aircraft to catch one of the cables. Instead of the old hydraulic "trap" wires, the Gerald R. Ford is equipped with the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG)—electric motors that absorb the energy of landing planes. This system is software-controlled, allowing for smoother landings. The availability of EMALS makes it possible for the aircraft carrier to launch a wider variety of aircraft, including lighter drones.

4. Long Life: The nuclear-powered ship can reportedly operate for 20 to 25 years without needing to be refuelled. The ship thus becomes a formidable threat to the USA's rivals in the event of conflicts that drag on for extended periods. The ship is powered by dual A1B reactors, which are specifically designed for the Ford-class and are capable of producing 300% more electrical power than the Nimitz-class reactors.

READ HERE | USS Gerald R. Ford will reach Arabian Sea in 4 days; Iran-US war could start by Feb 21: Report

5. Dual Band Radar (DBR): The ship is capable of detecting incoming low-altitude threats and long-range missiles simultaneously. Tracking happens with guaranteed precision due to the integration of MFR (Multi-Function Radar) and VSR (Volume Search Radar). Reports claim that it is the only carrier class to integrate this Dual Band Radar (DBR), which operates on two different frequency bands to perform multiple combat functions more effectively. The integration of DBR not only allows a warship to detect threats at long range and track them but also to guide defensive missiles and manage multiple targets simultaneously.