U.S. Aircraft Carriers Need Cheaper Anti-Drone Systems—and the Navy Is Working On Them
The Navy is sending six Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, each equipped with the Coyote and Roadrunner counter-drone system, with the USS Gerald R. Ford to ensure its protection.
Unmanned aerial systems, colloquially known as drones, are becoming increasingly prominent in militaries around the world. The war in Ukraine has truly revolutionized their use, and military forces across the globe are investing money and resources in developing more advanced and lethal drones.
The advent of such drones poses a deadly new challenge to aircraft carriers, which are the crown jewels of a naval force. The most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier is about to embark on an operational deployment, and the Navy is working on specialized systems that will keep drones away.
How to Protect the USS Gerald Ford
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the newest aircraft carrier in the Navy. The lead ship of the Ford-class supercarriers, the nuclear-powered flattop is the most advanced carrier to ever take to the seas. But the supercarrier is growing increasingly vulnerable to anti-ship missiles and drones as their technology progresses. And while the Navy has known about the missile threat to its warships for decades, the drone threat is relatively new and requires new countermeasures.
How do you take out an incoming unmanned aerial system? In essence, there are two main ways. First, you can shoot it down like you would shoot down any enemy aircraft. Second, you can take control of it with electronic warfare means and crash it into the ground or water—or potentially even force it to land and capture it.
The second option is still somewhat tenuous, and prone to countermeasures. Therefore, Navy officials have largely decided on the first option to protect the USS Gerald R. Ford.
How the Navy Can Defeat Drones at Scale
The Navy is sending six Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, each equipped with the Coyote and Roadrunner counter-drone system, with the Ford to ensure its protection.
“Those two systems are part of that attempt to get after the cost curve, give our commanding officers more options to engage the threat and ultimately be more effective in defending a high-value unit,” Capt. Mark Lawrence, commander of Destroyer Squadron 2, said, according to Stars and Stripes. “We are looking at ways that we can be more effective against the threats that are presented—unmanned, specifically in this case—and we are trying to find ways to make sure that we are going to have the deep missile inventories we might need for other contingencies.”
According to the Navy, these are interceptor-style counter-drone systems that launch drones that target and take out incoming enemy drones. The guided-missile destroyers can also use their anti-aircraft missiles against drones. For example, U.S. Navy and NATO warships have been using anti-aircraft missiles against Houthi drones in the Red Sea. However, these are expensive munitions, and it does not make sense economically to spend them against cheap drones.
“Both are specifically designed to go after [drones] so we don’t have to shoot the big standard missile at them,” explained Admiral Daryl Caudle, who is assigned to U.S. Fleet Forces and oversees the training and equipment of East Coast-based naval forces. “From inception to fielding and testing—all have been done in the last year. That’s a pretty quick turn for the Navy.”
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.