The aircraft carrier ‘USS George H. W. Bush’ trains with the LHD ‘Juan Carlos I’

After having participated in exercise ‘Dynamic Mariner/Mavi Balina 22’, whereby the Spanish Amphibious and Fleet Projection Group was NATO-certified as Rapid Reaction Force for the year 2023, the LHD ‘Juan Carlos I’, the LPD ‘Castilla’ and the F-80 frigate ‘Navarra’ joined the US Navy ‘Carrier Strike Group 10’ for a three-day integration.

The US flagship is the aircraft carrier ‘USS George H. W. Bush’ (CVN-77). This ship is the 10th and last of the ‘Nimitz’-class carriers, and has been in service since 2009. She carries more than 80 aircraft, mainly F-18s, and a crew of more than 4,300 people. The ship is being escorted by the cruiser ‘USS Leyte Gulf’ and destroyers ‘USS Delbert D. Black’, ‘USS Farragut’ and ‘USS Truxtun’.

The landing helicopter dock (LHD) ‘Juan Carlos I’ can operate as an amphibious ship deploying more than 1,000 marines with 120 vehicles and up to 30 aircraft including VTOL ‘Harrier’ and different helicopters.

In contrast to the previous deployment in ‘Dynamic Mariner/Mavi Balina 22’ where the LHD boasted her amphibious capabilities, this time, along with the CVN-77, the ‘Juan Carlos I’ operated mainly as aircraft carrier.

The LHD’s versatility has permitted her ‘Harriers’ to be the protagonists during the 3-day integration taking part in different missions with aircraft from the CVN-77 and also from the Hellenic Air Force.

Those missions included long distance ‘surgical’ strikes against ships and surface targets, defense of the Spanish Task Group against the F-18s and in-flight refueling. This intense series of drills has permitted the veteran ‘Harriers’ to demonstrate, once again, their excellent flexibility and efficiency.

In addition, the warships from the two naval groups have conducted other exercises like air defense, exchange of personnel, and communications and tactical drills, having integrated without difficulty.

The Spanish Navy task force and its embarked Marines will also carry out other amphibious exercises in the Italian island of Sardinia before returning to Spain.