According to Army Recognition on August 28, a rare military tension occurred in the skies over Norway on the 27th.

The NATO Joint Command received intelligence that a Russian nuclear submarine was approaching the area of operations of the U.S. Ford-class aircraft carrier strike group, potentially posing a direct threat.

After the news spread, the U.S. military, the Royal Air Force, and the Norwegian Air Force immediately went into a state of readiness, deploying multiple types of equipment including P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft, conducting large-scale searches over high-latitude seas for dozens of hours continuously.

However, the powerful forces deployed did not yield definitive results.

Although the NATO commander deployed a large number of sonobuoys and underwater monitoring networks, and continuously adjusted flight paths and detection plans, they still could not confirm the location of the so-called Russian submarine. The images and acoustic analysis results brought back by the P-8A were all in an uncertain state.

U.S. Aircraft Carrier

The Ford is the lead ship of the Ford-class carriers and the latest generation of nuclear-powered supercarriers of the United States.

Its full load displacement exceeds 110,000 tons and is hailed as the largest and most technologically advanced carrier in the world currently.

In the NATO system, the significance of the Ford goes far beyond just being a carrier.

It carries the U.S. ability to project power for multiple strategic goals, including the North Atlantic, the Arctic shipping routes, and European defense.

As long as the Ford is stationed in high latitude waters, NATO can quickly organize large-scale air-sea joint operations in any emergency, covering from Greenland to the Baltic Sea, even extending to the activity areas of the Russian Northern Fleet.

But this means that if the Ford encounters problems, it will not only damage the U.S. global deployment, but also force the entire NATO strategic defense line to be reorganized.

Therefore, once there was intelligence suggesting that a Russian nuclear submarine might approach the Ford, NATO immediately became uneasy, sending dozens of sorties for detection, fearing a surprise attack by Russia.

Russian Submarine

So, can Russia sink the Ford?

The Russian Northern Fleet has long been regarded as one of the most formidable submarine forces in the world, equipped with the Yasen-M class multi-purpose nuclear submarines, known as aircraft carrier hunters, which are the most advanced underwater combat platforms of Russia. Its silent performance is extremely excellent, with noise levels even close to the American Virginia class, and is called the "Arctic Ghost" by Western defense circles.

In terms of weapon configuration, the Yasen-M class can carry the Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles, with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers and a speed exceeding 8 Mach, which is sufficient to conduct long-range strikes outside the aircraft carrier's defense circle.

Additionally, it is equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles and advanced heavy torpedoes, capable of performing dual roles of land attacks and anti-ship missions.

NATO is worried that if the Yasen-M silently approaches the carrier strike group, it could simulate or even carry out saturation attacks without being detected.

Of course, sinking the Ford is not easy. The U.S. carrier strike group has a complete defense system, and even if the Russian submarine can launch hypersonic missiles, the U.S. still has early warning and countermeasures.

The real concern of NATO is not whether the Russian submarine will definitely attack, but that it has the ability to create crises at any time.

After the end of the Cold War, NATO reduced most of its fixed sonar arrays, and the underwater monitoring capabilities in the North Atlantic have not kept up with technological advancements, while Russia has continued to invest heavily in submarine stealth technology.

This makes NATO lack sufficient detection methods in some deep sea areas, and even if hundreds of sonobuoys are deployed, the result may still be nothing is found, even against the low-noise Yasen-M class.

NATO, Russia, and U.S. Flags

However, although NATO emphasized that this was not an exercise but a real operation, it would not actually trigger a direct military conflict.

The Russian nuclear submarine approaching the NATO carrier is part of a strategic deterrence, not a signal of actual combat attack.

Both sides clearly understand that if the submarine initiates an attack, the U.S. carrier would be damaged, triggering the NATO collective defense clause, which would equate to a full-scale war with Russia, possibly triggering a nuclear war.

Given this context, even if Russia has the opportunity and capability, it would not actively attack.

And NATO would not take drastic actions rashly, to avoid miscalculations that could escalate out of control.

Therefore, although NATO appears highly tense, it does not mean the situation has deteriorated to the point of U.S.-Russia war. It's just that the search for the Russian submarine has not yielded results, which may keep the West awake at night.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7543885413821268532/

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