What is a "typical" USN Carrier Air Group's composition ?

And how big is a squadron ? I think I remember having read that at the beginning of the 80’s, a Nimitz-class carrier had 24 “big” aircrafts (F-4 or F-14), 24 “small” aicrafts (A-7 or F-18), and 12 long range attack aircrafts (A-6 intruder). that made 60 combat aircrafts. Is this accurate ? This made 12 aircrafts per squadron. Is this still the case ?

Your very close……….

2- Squadrons F-14 or F-4 (12 Aircraft Each)
2- Squadrons F/A-18 or A-7 (12 Aircraft Each)
1- Squadron A-6* (14 Aircraft Each)
1- Squadron S-3 (10 Aircraft Each)
1- Squadron SeaKing ASW Helicopters (6 Aircraft Each)
1- Det E-2 Hawkeyes (4 Aircraft Each)

* A-6 Squadron made up with 10 A-6 Intruder Bombers and 4 KA-6 Tankers.

For what it is worth we left Quonset Point R.I. with 64 aircraft. One squardon of TBFs. 2 Squadrons of SB2Cs. 3 Squadrons of F6-Fs. I think there was spare aircraft also.

Thanks, but… seeing the aircrafts I can’t help but wondering how old you are, if you don’t mind my question (no offense intended)… :confused:

more info here:

http://p216.ezboard.com/fwarships1discussionboardsfrm12.showMessage?topicID=1200.topic

Thanks. I’ll check that! 🙂

Nowadays, the squadrons seem to embark with between 10 and 12 planes each, with four squadrons total (i.e. somewhere in the 40-48 range). Add to that the AEW (with four Hawkeye) and ASW (with SH-60Fs), and you have about the right number. Basically, it is a much smaller airwing than you would have seen embarked in the ’70s or ’80s.

“Much smaller”, right. With the phasing out of the Intruders, Tomcats and Vikings, I can’t help but fearing that a US Navy ACG is now really less powerfull that it used to be in the 80’s/90’s, or are the replacement aircrafts (read “the F/A-18 E/F) that bright to do the job of so many planes ?
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Yamaha Mio

Nowadays, the squadrons seem to embark with between 10 and 12 planes each, with four squadrons total (i.e. somewhere in the 40-48 range). Add to that the AEW (with four Hawkeye) and ASW (with SH-60Fs), and you have about the right number. Basically, it is a much smaller airwing than you would have seen embarked in the ’70s or ’80s.

more info here:

http://p216.ezboard.com/fwarships1discussionboardsfrm12.showMessage?topicID=1200.topic

For what it is worth we left Quonset Point R.I. with 64 aircraft. One squardon of TBFs. 2 Squadrons of SB2Cs. 3 Squadrons of F6-Fs. I think there was spare aircraft also.

And how big is a squadron ? I think I remember having read that at the beginning of the 80’s, a Nimitz-class carrier had 24 “big” aircrafts (F-4 or F-14), 24 “small” aicrafts (A-7 or F-18), and 12 long range attack aircrafts (A-6 intruder). that made 60 combat aircrafts. Is this accurate ? This made 12 aircrafts per squadron. Is this still the case ?
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Lolol

http://www.reagan.navy.mil/air_wing/air_wing.htm
http://www.lemoore.navy.mil/cvw-2/cvw2squadrons.htm

Yes, there has been a lot of change.

I don’t have details here, but the number of aircraft has been reduced, thd where beforehand you had attack (VA), fighter (VF), and recce squadrons (VP), you now only have strike fighter equipped squadrons. Also, you can say that ASW has virtually disappeared, except for some helicopters.

You can recognise the different squadrons by their modex, the first number defining a different squadron (except for AEW, COD, .. which share one same modex “group”)