The US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and two Arleigh Burke-class protected destroyers.

A week before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled on the Philippines’ lawsuit against China’s `cow tongue line`, the US Navy sent two groups of aircraft carriers to the Philippine Sea to practice with Indian warships.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) was launched in July 2003 and is one of 10 modern Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carriers of the US Navy.

Considered a flying fortress at sea, the USS Ronald Reagan is always in a combat-ready position with America’s most modern fighter aircraft and escort ships.

Every time it performs a mission, the USS Ronald Reagan carries about 60 combat aircraft of all types, including the F/A-18 Hornet fighter, with its mobile and flexible combat capabilities, which is considered the heart.

F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter ship of the US Navy.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet is more than 18 m long, has a wingspan of nearly 13.7 m, has a maximum speed of more than Mach 1.8 (2,200 km/h),  equipped with the most modern electronic warfare equipment

In addition to the F/A-18, the ship also has four other types of aircraft, including the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft, which specializes in jamming and disrupting enemy radar waves and communications.

To perform reconnaissance missions, the USS Ronald Reagan has four modern E-2C Hawkeyes.

In addition, the USS Ronald Reagan’s fleet also includes SH-60 Seahawk aircraft performing rescue missions and C-2 Greyhound transport aircraft tasked with transporting goods and soldiers.

Although considered one of the world’s largest mobile combat airfields and a floating US territory, due to its large size, the USS Ronald Reagan is also at risk of becoming a giant target for missiles

Dense radar and weapon systems on the US Navy’s Ticonderoga-class cruiser.

Among these corvettes the most prominent are the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and the modern Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

The Arleigh Burke destroyer is considered the backbone of the US naval fleet, equipped with the Aegis missile defense system, capable of shooting down ballistic missiles carrying nuclear warheads.

An indispensable component of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier cluster is the fast attack submarine Los Angles, whose mission is to find and destroy enemy submarines and protect the mother ship against all risks of sudden attacks from the seabed.

Flying at a radius of over 400 km, F/A-18 Hornets protect the USS Ronald Reagan from threats at sea and in the air.

Inside the E2C Hawkeye, at least three officers select suspicious targets from radar and then replay them to F/A-18 Hornet squadrons and protection ships.

`Like a symphony orchestra, the components of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier group must all operate independently, on the basis of close combat coordination. This is the principle for America’s floating territories to maintain their position.

See more: Aircraft carriers – a US tool to deter China in the East Sea.