US Navy Nimitz-class carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Middle East earlier this month, bringing with it two advanced F-35C fighter squadrons.

The Pentagon on April 1 announced the Carl Vinson would join the Truman in the Middle East "to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region."

And on April 9, US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a video showing the Carl Vinson launching aircraft alongside USS Harry S. Truman, another Nimitz-class carrier operating in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

The deployment comes as the Iran-backed Houthis ratchet up their attacks in the Red Sea, and as US forces continue an "open-ended" campaign to strike Houthi military targets in Yemen that began March 15.

Commissioned in 1982, the Carl Vinson is the third Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The class typically carries around 60 airframes, including a variety of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

The Vinson Carrier Strike Group includes USS Princeton, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser; Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett and USS William P. Lawrence; and the aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2).

CVW-2 consists eight squadrons and one detachment, with both F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and F-35C Lightning IIs.

Cutting edge

In January 2018, Carl Vinson became the first carrier to deploy with the F-35C, giving it a breadth of experience with the advanced aircraft.

CVW-2 includes the US Navy's Strike Fighter Squadron 147 (VFA-147) "Argonauts" and the US Marine Corps Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) "Black Nights," both of which use the F-35C.

The fighter's stealth, electronic warfare, strike and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities expand the options available to carrier-based commanders.

The F-35C incorporates cutting edge stealth technology and low observability, allowing it to penetrate hardened air defenses and operate in denied environments.

Its ability to monitor situations and provide real-time information with other aircraft makes it a central component of a carrier strike group.

The F-35C, along with the F/A-18E/F, also enable Carl Vinson to deliver overwhelming strike power at a sustained intensity.

The carrier's air wing is capable of generating up to 125 strike sorties per day.

With each sortie capable of engaging up to six targets, the air wing has the potential to hit up to 750 targets daily, including land-based and maritime targets and fixed and mobile targets.