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A US aircraft carrier accompanied by three warships has entered the Middle East region as Iran faces ongoing protests that have resulted in thousands of deaths.
The United States Central Command, which overseesAmerican military operations in the region, said on the social media platform X that the USS Abraham LincolnCarrier Strike Group is “currently deployed to the Middle East to promote regional security and stability.”
US President Donald Trump said last week that ships were being sent to the region “just in case,” following an earlier warning that the US was “locked and loaded” to protect protesters.
Here’s what we know about what technology and military hardware could be onboard the US aircraft carrier.
‘The largest warship in the world’
The USS Abraham Lincoln is one of America’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which the Navy calls “the largest warships in the world.”
It makes up the ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the US, known as the Nimitz-class.
Nimitz-class carriers are 333 metres long, can move approximately 100,000 tons of equipment, including 65 aircraft and multiple missile mounts, according to the US Navy.
What defence tech is onboard?
The carrier supports aircraft that can strike both airborne and shoreline targets, according to the US Navy. Its squadrons include the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet and the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, according to the Associated Press.
The carrier also engages in maritime security operations that “interdict threats to merchant shipping and prevent the use of the seas for terrorism and piracy,” the US Navy said.
Nimitz-class carriers could also be equipped with several types of missiles, including the NATO Sea Sparrow, an anti-missile and aircraft weapon system. This type of missile could be on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is part of the Nimitz-class group.
The carriers often have two types of anti-ship missiles on board, such as the Phalanx/CIWS, a “rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun,” and the RAM missile system, a “supersonic, light-weight … fire-and-forget weapon,” according to manufacturer RTX, formerly Raytheon.
The USS Abraham Lincoln might have additional weapons on board, according to the military database Command: Modern Operations / Modern Air Naval Operations Cmano. This includesthe AN/SLQ-25A Nixie, a decoy system that emits sounds to trick underwater torpedoes from following a ship.
The ship is equipped with several types of radar systems that help it detect and track nearby threats, monitor air traffic control, and shoot and guide missiles, according to the publication Naval Technology, which said it also had two SH-60 Seahawk attack helicopters and nine squadrons.
The USS Abraham Lincoln can travel up to 35 knots (65 kilometres per hour), and can hold an has an average crew of 5,600 people, according to Cmano.