The U.S. Navy Is Training to Sink a Chinese Aircraft Carrier

Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Navy conducts realistic training exercises, including sinking retired ships, to prepare for potential conflicts, notably against China's growing naval capabilities.

-Unlike China, which uses static mockups for missile target practice, the U.S. Navy uses decommissioned vessels in live-fire exercises.

-The upcoming Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise will feature the sinking of the ex-USS Tarawa, providing valuable data and preparation for potential carrier attacks.

-This move has caught China's attention, highlighting the U.S. Navy's superior training methods.

The U.S. Training to Sink A Chinese Carrier – And It Isn't Using Plywood Targets

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has conducted multiple tests of its so-called "carrier-killer" DF-21D and DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missiles, including firing at simulated targets resembling United States Navy Nimitz-class and Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered supercarriers. The PLA's targets aren't on the open water however, and instead were static vessel mockups located in the remote desert region of Western China.

Those missile ranges have been employed for more than a decade to allow Beijing's military forces to hone their ability to strike a carrier.
 
The United States Navy also conducts similar simulations – but it has been able to use actual retired flattops instead of targets made of plywood and fabric! In 2005, the retired Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier USS America (CVA/CV-66) was employed as a target in a planned sinking exercise (SINKEX), which provides valuable realistic training for U.S. Navy personnel.

The sinking of USS America, which proved especially difficult, was conducted before the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operated any carriers. Now as China has increased its naval might, the U.S. could increase the number of SINKEX to better prepare its sailors. It was during the recent Valiant Shield 2024 that the ex-USS Cleveland (LPD-7) was sunk as a target ship.

That was already an impressive show of force for sure, but it was announced that the ex-USS Tarawa (LHA-1), the lead vessel of a class of amphibious assault ships, will be sunk off the coast of Hawaii during the 2024 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, which began on Thursday. It will be the first time a Tarawa-class LHA has been sunk as a target in nearly two decades and only the second of the class to be employed in a SINKEX.

The SINKEX during RIMPAC is being conducted to offer an opportunity to gather data on the effectiveness of various weapons on a large warship, but it will also provide the U.S. Navy with insight into how its flattops can handle an attack. According to a recent report from TheWarZone, the U.S. Navy has been preparing to employ the ex-LHA-1 in the SINKEX since at least 2022, and her sister ship, the ex-USS Peleliu (LHA-5) could also be used as a future floating target.

The ex-USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3) was sunk in 2006, while five of the seven Iowa-class amphibious assault ships – which preceded the Tarawa class – were also sunk in past RIMPAC SINKEXs, according to TheWarZone.

China is Watching Closely

This year's RIMPAC is the 29th iteration of what remains the world's largest naval exercise. It will include assets from the U.S. Navy, as well as 28 partner nations, with more than 25,000 personnel and 40 surface ships, three submarines, and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii over the next month.

The scale of the event was likely already noteworthy to Beijing, but the announcement that a former amphibious assault ship – which is almost as large as the PLAN's Type 001 Liaoning aircraft carrier – will be used as a target has certainly caught the attention of Chinese state media.

The similar size was quickly noted.

Chinese military expert Fu Qianshao told the state media outlet, the Global Times on Thursday that the planned SINKEX should be seen as practice for an attack on one of China's aircraft carrier. Fu also noted that there are few nations in the Asia-Pacific region that operate amphibious assault ships that are not U.S. allies, further highlighting that the SINKEX was meant to prepare the U.S. Navy for a war against China.

The U.S. Navy hasn't officially responded, but no doubt it would probably say that when it conducts target practice it can do more than shoot at plywood targets.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu, Defense Expert 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

All images are Creative Commons or Shutterstock. 

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