KaiBear said:
Harrison Bergeron said:
Oldbear83 said:
Harrison Bergeron said:
Oldbear83 said:
" Will be impressed if they have a new design that can withstand China's drones and super-sonic ICBMs."
Last I checked, all ICBMs are supersonic.
Fair enough - what is the new missile it has ... maybe it is hypersonic. Regardless, not sure an other big carrier makes sense.
depends on what it does besides the obvious.
Carriers are force projection, which drones/missiles cannot accomplish.
It's also important that new carriers do more than the older classes.
Anyway, a new carrier makes more sense than, say, the F-35 or DEI.
I'm definitely not an expert, but afraid China takes out all our carriers in a couple of days with those hypersonic missiles or massive drone attacks. Hope I'm wrong.
Carriers are hopelessly obsolete.
Easy to detect, a floating mega explosion loaded with jet fuel and bombs.
Multi billion dollar target for cheap drones and missiles.
And each CV is manned by approx 5000 sailors.
Unfortunately we are still fighting and planning for WW2 sea battles.
Even with the recent example of the Russians losing several warships in their Black Sea fleet to Ukranian drones.
I'm sorry, but you couldn't be more wrong in your assessment. Russia is literally still deploying some mostly mid 20th century naval tech, not to mention they only have 1 troubled aircraft carrier from the Soviet Union days. The US Navy is a completely different animal than any of our adversaries, including China.. They've been dealing with swarm missile attack threats for decades, and are now transitioning to the new drone type threats. Perhaps you didn't know the large amount of unmanned warfare capability (both offensive and defensive) the navy commands. Heck they're building future "ghost fleets" with air, sea, and subsurface capabilities.. Look up things like HELIOS, ODIN, Phalanx, and Switchblades as just a few defensive and offensive capabilities in the drone fight.
Carrier groups are military ecosystems that tie together multi ship, air, as well as other branches such as space force, Air Force, and Army capabilities. They are the ultimate forward operating force. If anything, drones are a greater threat to ground based assets. It's why we have had drone casualties in Syria and not in the Persian Gulf or Arabian Sea. This isn't your Father's or Grandfather's Navy.
Now that isn't meant to diminish the China threat. The problem is solving the cost and capacity calculus. Using million dollar missiles to stop thousand dollar drones is a poor equation. China also has a production advantage. We can and are maintaining the innovation advantage, but the production issue is unsolved. They are also advancing their capabilities that we have to counter.
A lot of new tech being developed is focusing on cheaper stopping costs such as advanced signal jamming, lasers, and microwaves. The defensive arcs around carriers are combos of long, medium, and short range matrices, meaning any strike at a carrier, whether hypersonic missiles or drones must succeed through each barrier. You also have the F35s being used as drone "commanders" bringing that element to their war fighting as a force multiplier. As you bring in these unmanned ships and "ghost fleets" you further extend your offensive and defensive range, and without the human casualty concern.
One thing is for sure, aircraft carriers aren't just some big floating dinghy filled with sailors waiting to get sunk by drones.
