The Limitations of the US Naval Air Defense System will Force the US to Withdraw from the Red Sea
The Trump administration wrongly accuses the wretched Biden team of going soft on Yemen during the last 15 months of the Biden administration. Biden deployed two separate Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) to the Red Sea, but was compelled to withdraw them when the CSGs ran out of ammunition for their Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS).
The Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) is a modular, multi-mission missile launcher widely used by naval forces worldwide. Let’s review its key features and capabilities:
The Mk 41 VLS was initially developed for the U.S. Navy’s Aegis-equipped guided missile cruisers to enhance air threat protection for naval battle groups. It has since evolved into a so-called versatile system supporting multiple mission areas, including anti-aircraft, anti-surface, anti-submarine, ballistic missile defense, and land attack.
Only one teeny, tiny problem — the VLS cannot be reloaded at sea. Once the supplied quantity of missiles are fired, the ship — a destroyer or a cruiser — has to go to a port in order to reload. That is why the CSGs could not remain in the Red Sea during the Biden administration’s execution of Operation Prosperity Guardian. And I believe the Trump administration is going to encounter the same problem.
The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) currently is in the Red Sea and accompanied by the following ships:
Cruiser: USS Gettysburg (CG-64)
Destroyers: USS Stout (DDG-55) and USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109)
These ships operate alongside the carrier USS Harry S Truman (CVN-75) and its embarked Carrier Air Wing, with the mission of providing defense against missile and drone attacks.
A single Aegis destroyer can carry up to 96 missiles in its Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) cells. However, the exact number of SM-3 missiles carried varies depending on the ship’s mission and configuration.
The SM-3 missiles are typically part of a mix of different missile types loaded into the VLS cells, which can include:
Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) for ballistic missile defense
Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) for multi-mission capabilities
Tomahawk cruise missiles for land-attack missions
Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) for medium-range air defense
It’s important to note that not all 96 cells are necessarily filled with SM-3 missiles, as the VLS can accommodate different types of missiles for various purposes. The specific number of SM-3 missiles carried by a destroyer at any given time is not publicly disclosed and can change based on operational requirements.
But here is another problem — the US does not have an unlimited supply of these missiles. As of 2018, the Missile Defense Agency had acquired around 336 SM-3s of all types, with most of them assigned to the Navy’s BMD-capable ships deployed across four U.S. combatant commands. This limited inventory suggests that each destroyer likely carries only a portion of its total missile capacity as SM-3s.
The Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), a key component of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, is designed to intercept and destroy short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their midcourse phase of flight. The SM-3 uses a “hit-to-kill” approach, where it destroys the target through sheer kinetic force, equivalent to a 10-ton truck traveling at 600 miles per hour.
If the US Navy fires two SM-3s at every ballistic missile fired by the Houthis, the US inventory will be rapidly depleted and the CSG will be forced to withdraw from the Red Sea to reload. If the Houthis decide to launch daily attacks of the Harry S Truman CSG, they may be able to achieve the tactical disarmament of the CSG.
It’s also important to note that the Aegis has operational limitations:
The success rate is not 100%. As of April 2024, the Aegis BMDS has performed 45 successful intercepts in 54 attempts against ballistic missile targets.
The effectiveness can vary based on the specific variant of the SM-3 used and the type of incoming ballistic missile.
In some tests, while reported as “successful,” the SM-3 kill vehicle failed to hit the warhead target directly in 8 or 9 out of 10 tests from 2002 to 2009, which in real combat scenarios might not have resulted in the destruction of the incoming warhead.
A significant recent development occurred in April 2024, when SM-3 missiles were used for the first time in actual combat. USS Arleigh Burke and USS Carney fired four to seven SM-3s to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles headed toward Israeli targets.
Turning to the Houthis, they are not throwing rocks or crude weapons at the CSG. They have acquired/developed several sophisticated ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones. Topping the list is the Palestine-2 hypersonic missile. The Palestine-2 hypersonic missile is a strategic weapon developed by Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, reportedly with significant Iranian assistance. Here is a detailed overview of the Palestine-2:
Key Features
Type: Two-stage, solid-fuel hypersonic ballistic missile.
Speed: Capable of reaching Mach 16 (~19,000 km/h), making it difficult to intercept by advanced missile defense systems such as Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling
.
Range: Approximately 2,150 km, allowing strikes deep into Israeli and Saudi territories.
Warhead: High-explosive fragmentation payload of 500 kg, capable of penetrating hardened structures.
Guidance Systems: Combines inertial navigation and satellite guidance for high precision, with an estimated Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 5–10 meters.
Mobility: Launched from heavy-duty truck-mounted platforms, enabling rapid repositioning and operation in diverse terrains.
Despite suffering several days of attacks from US planes and missiles since March 15, the Houthis remain defiant. They released the following today:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Allah Almighty says: “O you who believe! If you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet.”In solidarity and support for the oppressed Palestinian people, and in response to the massacres committed by the criminal zionist enemy against our brothers in Gaza, the missile forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces have carried out a qualitative military operation targeting a military objective of the “israeli” enemy located south of occupied Yaffa. The attack was executed using a hypersonic ballistic missile of type Palestine-2, successfully achieving its objective, by the grace of Allah.
This operation is the second within 24 hours.
The operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces supporting Gaza will not cease as long as the American aggression persists. These operations, along with the enforced blockade on “israeli” maritime navigation, will continue until the aggression against Gaza is halted and the siege is lifted.
I discussed the plight of the Palestinians and the response of the Houthis, among other topics, with Ania K today:
Why don’t I see the comments on the articles anymore? I see the “likes” but 0 comments.