Aircraft carrier (Generals)

Aircraft carriers are massive capital ships used by the United States Navy during the War against the GLA. These mighty vessels serve as a mobile seagoing airfields for Raptor fighter-bombers. Because Carriers lack the firepower of other warships, they are often escorted by a number of other ships to provide protection and additional offensive capabilities.

History
Aircraft Carriers did not play an important role in the early stages of the conflict as almost all engagements with the Global Liberation Army occurred inland. However, as the GLA expanded their influence throughout the globe, the United States Navy inevitably got involved. A Carrier Battle Group was dispatched during the Battle of Mogadishu to provide vital close air support against fortified GLA positions entrenched within in the city and in the nearby hills.

Lacking a true naval force capable of taking the USA head on, the GLA avenged its defeats by capturing a Particle Cannon and used it to sink the USS Reagan in the Battle of Crete.

Game Unit
The Aircraft Carrier has a squadron of 20 Raptor fighter-bombers always on standby. When a Raptor is destroyed, a new one will automatically replace it at no cost to the player, although it takes roughly 5 seconds for a new one to be rebuilt and readied on deck.

However, the ship cannot be built in skirmish matches without modding the game. The player can only control it in the second mission of the Generals expansion pack Zero Hour.

Known Aircraft Carriers

 * USS Olympia - Affiliated to General Malcolm Granger
 * USS Reagan (CVN-84) - Sunk by a Particle Cannon occupied by the GLA
 * USS Daedalus (CVN-88)- Assisted in the Battle of Mogadishu

Trivia
The Aircraft Carrier is actually considered a structure in-game, and not an actual ship like the Battleship or PT Boat that can move. The limitations of the engine meant that aircraft could not land or take off from a moving vessel, therefore the carrier was made to be a structure instead. This is evident as the Aircraft Carrier will play response sounds when given a move order. The carrier ingame do have unique design as it have large twin runways, each can accommodate simultaneously two fighter. The runway used for launch is stacked with planes with very limited range for takeoff, marking an advanced high performance catapults embedded.

The United States is known for maintaining a number of aircraft carriers. Many of these patrol international waters on a common basis. However unlike the USS Reagan no carriers have been sunk since the Second World War. The design of the in-game carrier does to some extent resemble the proposed Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier though the construction of USS Gerald R. Ford did not begin until 2005, two years after the game been released. In reality, the backbone fighter planned for future American carrier air wing will be F-35 and not F-22. So far there are no major change to the plan. The current backbone fighter in active duty for carrier battle group is F-18.

Quotes
"Changing path"

- When moving

"Commencing attack run"

- When airstrike is called in

"Squadron's on its way"

- When airstrike is called in

"Target has been entered"

- When airstrike is called in

"They will be there shortly"

- When airstrike is called in

"All jets, we have a new target"

- When airstrike is called in