The accompanying warships also carry air defense systems designed to protect the carrier strike group. Aircraft aboard the Lincoln — including F-35 stealth fighters and F/A-18 attack aircraft — are positioned within operational range of numerous targets inside Iran.
“In a major increase of firepower, the U.S. recently ordered a second aircraft carrier strike group to the region. This includes the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, and three of its accompanying destroyers. The Ford’s warplanes were used in the Jan. 3 attack on Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro,” The Times reported.