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The Ohio class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) received an airborne escort while surfaced in the Pacific Ocean, exercising with a U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II. 

As one of the most destructive and most valuable assets in the entire U.S. military, the protection of the U.S. Navy’s 14 Ohio class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) is an endeavor which can require the support of any and all of the branches of the U.S. military. 

Each submarine is able to carry as many as 20 UGM-133 Trident II D5 missiles, each offering a range capability in excess of 7,400 km and delivering up to 12 independently targeted thermonuclear warheads that re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at over 20 times the speed of sound. 

Trident II D5 ballistic missile takes flight in the background of another Trident II D5.
This was the 12th flight of a Trident II, D-5 missile (X-12)
𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 46, 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 (1998) pic.twitter.com/P6AgkJzO9X

— 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 (@USN_Submariner) March 1, 2025

Submarines are at their most vulnerable when on the surface, where they can be detected by visual means or by radar, and even spotted by satellites.

During routine operations, the U.S. Navy employs a specialist fleet of four Black Powder class support ships to provide additional protection to these submarines. When entering and exiting port, the ships sail close by to the submarines acting as a sacrificial shield for the precious missile compartment. 

This week’s @MSCSealift “Ship in the Spotlight,” submarine support ship USNS Eagleview (T-AGSE 3) recently escorted the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741) as it transited the Puget Sound during routine operations.
Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Riley. pic.twitter.com/ON23JaSFEa

— U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (@MSCSealift) March 31, 2025

In times of heightened tensions, or during open conflict, these passive protection measures would be supplanted by active protection.

One form this can take is an Armed Airborne Escort, also known as AAE, as demonstrated during the exercise on Jul. 28, 2026. In this role, armed aircraft would provide overwatch for the submarine until it can submerge beneath the waves and lurk silently underwater. 

A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft escorts Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) in the Pacific Ocean, July 28, 2026. | Source: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan Riley

Underwater protections would then comprise a shield of attack submarines, like those from the Los Angeles and Virginia classes, to defend the SSBN from hostile submarines. 

A U.S. Navy statement reads: “AAEs demonstrate joint force readiness to protect SSBNs, ensuring they remain a credible, reliable, and survivable force capable of operating anywhere in the world.”

“SSBNs remain a top U.S. Department of War priority due to their unmatched stealth and second-strike capability. Their strategic importance necessitates the strongest protection available during critical surfaced operations.”

We previously reported on such an exercise in 2024, in that case with the exercise involving a much larger number of A-10s. Since this date, the A-10 force has been drawn down ahead of an expected, but now postponed, retirement. Elements of the A-10 fleet are also committed overseas for Operation Epic Fury. 

As we noted at the time, the use of the A-10 in this role showed off its increasing utility in the maritime domain. The aircraft was originally designed with the very specific task of prowling the European frontlines during a war between NATO and the Soviet Union, taking out the Soviet Union’s massive armada of tanks and armoured vehicles from the air. 

Emerging Threats

A major threat which has emerged since the introduction of the Ohio class and their Royal Navy counterpart Vanguard class submarines has been from small, fast watercraft laden with explosives. These can be operated with ease by both state and non-state actors, and strike with little warning while hidden among the small boats that feature in the populated coastal areas surrounding many naval ports.  

This threat was most dramatically evidenced by the terrorist attack in 2000 against the destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) while alongside in Yemen. A fibreglass boat packed with C4 explosives hit the side of the ship, blasting a huge hole and claiming the lives of 17 crew members. This boat was driven by two attackers, who committed suicide in the attack. Now, with the widespread use of uncrewed craft, the limitation of needing people willing to give their lives in such attacks has been removed. 

A surfaced submarine’s missile compartment would be the prime target for such an attack, and a submarine by itself has very little capability to defend itself. Across the Atlantic, the Royal Navy’s Vanguard class boats were retrofitted with armor plating along the upper section of their missile compartments providing a similar style of protection to the containers arranged on the decks of the U.S. Black Powder class. 

Royal Navy submarine HMS Vanguard (S28) with the armor plating highlighted. This plating is often mistaken for a flank sonar array. | Source: Kai Greet

In circumstances requiring the heightened, active protective measures, close air support aircraft like the A-10 or helicopters like the AH-64 Apache would be the ideal escorts for such submarines. Varied munition loadouts enable these aircraft to target a wide array of different types of threat, allowing them to respond to any emerging situation. A-10s, for example, have been used extensively over the Strait of Hormuz to hunt and destroy Iranian fast attack craft threatening civilian shipping.