In the last week of August, NATO forces in Norway went into a huddle, as the US Navy’s biggest aircraft carrier was exposed and vulnerable. Within hours, the US Navy, the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) launched one of the largest submarine hunts off the coast of Norway, apparently the most extensive hunt since the end of the Cold War.
Their target, according to the Barents Observer, was one of the three Russian Yasen-class nuclear-powered submarines, one of Russia’s most advanced submarines, which was operating dangerously close to the US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, the 100,000-ton nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford.
According to multiple media reports, to hunt down the Russian submarine, the RAF launched least eight P-8A Poseidon flights from its Lossiemouth air base in Scotland, the RNoAF carried out sorties from its Evenes Air Base near Narvik within the Arctic Circle, and the US Navy also launched patrols from Iceland, while two additional anti-submarine warfare (ASW) P-8 aircraft were redeployed from Sicily, Italy.
Despite this extensive mobilization of resources, NATO forces were unable to locate the Russian submarine, according to The National Interest.
However, notwithstanding the abject failure of NATO forces in locating the Russian submarine, what is even more concerning is the fact that the submarine was able to operate so close to the US Navy aircraft carrier.
Apparently, the submarine was so close that it could have targeted one of the US Navy’s most expensive and advanced aircraft carriers with its long-range precision weapons and overwhelmed the carrier’s defenses.
The carrier was so vulnerable that it was even within the striking range of the submarine’s torpedoes.
The operation of Russian submarines so close to the US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier sends multiple strategic messages: first, that Russia is not deterred by the presence of the US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier near the Russian border.
Meanwhile, the Nerpicha Russian Naval Base in the Litsa Fjord, where all three of Russia’s Yasen-class and Yasen-M-class submarines are usually docked, is just 60 kilometers from Russia’s border with Norway.
In fact, as shown by satellite imagery, all three Russian submarines were not present at the base during the last week of August when NATO forces launched a massive hunt for them.
Secondly, and more worryingly, the whole episode shows that even the US Navy’s most advanced carriers are vulnerable to Russian submarines.
US Dominance In Aircraft Carriers
When it comes to aircraft carriers, the US has an unassailable lead. It has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
In comparison, China has two operational aircraft carriers, with the third, Fujian, currently undergoing sea trials. Additionally, China does not have a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Russia, on the other hand, does not have even a single operational aircraft carrier.
Russian Focus On A2/AD Capabilities
However, both Russia and China, as well as Iran and North Korea, are focusing on Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities, which they hope to utilize as great levelers in the event of a conflict with NATO or the US.
For Instance, the USS Gerald R. Ford was constructed at a cost of USD 13 billion. Meanwhile, the Russian Yasen-class submarine, which NATO forces were apparently hunting, cost just around USD 1.5 billion.
Yet, as the incident showed, this submarine was able to operate undetected so close to the USS Gerald R. Ford, raising uncomfortable questions for the US Navy.
The massive hunt for the submarine, involving the US Navy, the RAF, and the RNoAF, itself shows that the submarine posed a real danger to the security of the US aircraft carrier.
Especially the Yasen-class Russian submarines were built with the explicit capability and doctrine to target and neutralize high-value surface assets, such as U.S. supercarriers, as a core mission profile.
The Yasen-class (Project 885/885M, NATO: Severodvinsk) represents Russia’s most advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine, evolving from Cold War-era designs, such as the Oscar II-class, which were designed to be “carrier killers.”
Although the Yasen is a multipurpose platform, capable of handling anti-submarine warfare (ASW), intelligence gathering, and land-attack strikes, its armament, stealth, and range make it a formidable threat to carrier strike groups (CSGs), which are the U.S. Navy’s premier power-projection tools.
Russia’s focus on Yasen-class submarines stems from Moscow’s strategic focus on asymmetric undersea warfare to counter U.S. naval superiority.
From Russian Submarines To Chinese Anti-Ship Missiles
Meanwhile, China is developing its own asymmetric naval warfare doctrine to counter conventional US superiority in aircraft carriers.
China’s anti-ship missiles, particularly those designed to target high-value naval assets such as aircraft carriers, are a cornerstone of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy, which aims to counter U.S. and allied naval dominance in the Indo-Pacific.
These missiles, deployed by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), Air Force (PLAAF), and Rocket Force (PLARF), emphasize long-range, high-speed, and precision strikes to overwhelm the defenses of carrier strike groups (CSGs).
The PLA’s focus on “carrier-killer” missiles reflects a doctrinal shift toward asymmetric warfare, aimed at deterring or neutralizing U.S. supercarriers, such as the USS Gerald R. Ford.
China’s anti-ship missile arsenal includes subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic missiles, with the DF-21D and DF-26 ballistic missiles often referred to as “carrier killers” due to their unique ability to strike moving naval targets from extreme ranges.
However, despite the focus of these countries on A2/AD strategies, it would be a mistake to consider that aircraft carriers have become obsolete. They remain the primary tool of global power projection. That’s why even these countries are investing in aircraft carriers.
China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is currently undergoing sea trials and is expected to be inducted soon. According to reports, China is also building its fourth aircraft carrier, which may be nuclear-powered.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, Indonesia approved a foreign loan financing plan for the acquisition of the Giuseppe Garibaldi (C-551) aircraft carrier from the Italian Navy.
Naval warfare is currently undergoing a transitional phase in which, while super-expensive aircraft carriers are increasingly vulnerable, they cannot be entirely written off.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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