See the hectic flight deck operations aboard a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, where warplane pilots and crews are 'on alerts all the time'

Business Insider recently visited USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a leading ship in the Navy response to the Houthis, and saw flight operations firsthand.

Technology Feb 21, 2024 0 42 Add to Reading List

See the hectic flight deck operations aboard a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, where warplane pilots and crews are 'on alerts all the time'

A fighter jet prepares for takeoff on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider

The US Navy has been regularly striking Houthi missiles and drones before they launch.
Planes from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower are always flying and ready to execute these strike missions.
Business Insider recently traveled to the Ike in the Red Sea and saw these activities firsthand.

Flight operations aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower are chaotic to watch, with sailors and aircraft constantly in motion. That flurry of activity though allows the warship to put a tremendous amount of combat power in the air, including heavily armed jets that are ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The Eisenhower, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea, is a lead ship in the US Navy's battle against the Iran-backed Houthis, who have spent the last few months firing missiles and drones into the international shipping lanes off the coast of Yemen.

Fighter jets from the Ike have been involved in intercepting these threats in the air and striking the Houthis directly in Yemen. It's a large-scale operation for the crew to keep the aircraft ready for flight and airborne, with aircraft taking off from the carrier all the time.

Business Insider recently embarked on the Ike as it carried out its mission in the Red Sea and observed the flight ops firsthand. Here is what it looked like from the carrier's massive flight deck.

The Eisenhower's air wing includes F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters, E-2 Hawkeye early-warning aircraft, EA-18 Growler jets for electronic warfare and surveillance, and helicopters.

Sailors work on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider

Most of the 70 aircraft on the carrier are on the flight deck. The rest of the planes are below in an area known as the "hangar bay," where maintenance is performed.

The flight deck on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider

The personnel on the flight deck wear different colored vests to indicate their jobs, such as handlers, landing signal officers, arresting gear and catapult officers, and so on.

These service members are constantly in the process of receiving planes, launching them, or getting aircraft ready for their next launch.

These preparations include refueling and rearming the aircraft with munitions, especially if any are released during the previous flight.

Sailors transport munitions on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider

During a typical day on the Ike, dozens of planes may take off over multiple launch and recovery cycles that in total can last up to 12 hours — sometimes longer if needed.

"We are on alerts all the time," Capt. Marvin Scott, the commander of the Ike's carrier air wing, told BI. "And then inside of those alerts we also have cyclic flight operations where we fly regularly over the course of half a day. We can go longer, we can go shorter. It just depends on exactly what the operational need is."

A fighter jet is towed across the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider

Fighter jets carrying heavy payloads are launched from one of the Ike's multiple catapults, which on this carrier are steam-powered mechanisms that slingshot the aircraft forward at fast speeds.

When they take off, reaching speeds of 150 mph in just seconds, fighter jets make an incredibly loud roar and leave a trail of hot exhaust in their wake. It has a real "Top Gun" opening scene vibe to it, just without "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins playing.

A fighter jet takes off from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider

Upon landing, the aircraft is slowed down in seconds from speeds of 150 mph by the Ike's arresting gear, which are belts that help the aircraft quickly decelerate.

A fighter jet lands on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. — A fighter jet lands on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Jake Epstein/Business Insider

Even though flight operations are chaotic with lots of moving parts, there are still moments of resounding peace and quiet on the flight deck between missions. But then it's right back to operations again.