The Navy's Multimission Carrier Airwing--Can the Mission Be Accomplished with Fewer Resources?

In response to budget constraints, the Navy reduced the number of aircraft carriers from 24 in the mid-1960's to 13 today. While the carriers today are fewer in number, they have more sophisticated weapon systems and other technological advances which partly offset the numerical difference. This technology upgrading is a continuous process and can be illustrated by the introduction of F-14 aircraft, which replaced the F-4's.