Community Vessel Aircraft Carrier

For each one hundred million population of Sober Thought, the Naval Service builds one aircraft carrier named sequentially A-1 in the first wave, A-2 in the second, A-3 in the third, etc. The carriers also routinely bear the names of the provinces (in order of population) as parallel designations, e.g., CV Central Province, CV Hochelaga, CV Thuvia, etc. They are roughly comparable to the U.S. Navy’s non-nuclear Forrestal and Kitty Hawk classes of fleet carriers.

The the tri-service Carrier Group is the cornerstone of the Naval Service’s fleet air arm and is one of the largest and most powerful long-distance combined arms formations of the Community Defence Forces. Its commanding officers are a Chief Commander in overall command of the five thousand or so troops, Commander for the naval component, Commander for the Carrier Air Group and Chief Lieutenant for the permanently stationed Marine Light Infantry Battalion.

The aircraft carrier projects air power to distant shores, provides a combat air screen for large embarked fleets, and provides ground attack for large amphibious landings. Considering its gigantic size, its own anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defences are slight. Thus, it relies on the forward projection of its own air power and its escorts like cruisers, destroyers and frigates for force protection.

The air component on the carrier is provided by a Carrier Air Group of six fighter squadrons in two wings. The utility wing includes ASW, SAR and transport helicopters, and radar jamming, radar and in-flight refueling fixed-wing aircraft, mostly organized by classes into flights rather than whole squadrons.