Modern Carrier Battle Group..Strategies and Tactics

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

DARPA FALCON: . Basically, it is an air strike from the US to China within 2 hours.

FALCON technology (high altitude, hypersonic flight) can be used on drones or on manned flights: .


I still think carriers have their worthy advantages:

1. It functions as a moving base of operations.
2. Super fast airplanes operating on strategically located carriers can result in ridiculously fast air strikes.
3. It can carry a bunch of equipment and people inside its armored body and plentiful defense systems.
4. It is a moving target, although it is a lot more expensive to fix than ground airfields.

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

^ Most of the hypersonic programs were terminated in the last budget. Even a rudimentary hypersonic vehicle is at least 10 years from operational service. This could explain why there is an increased interest in using ICBM or SLBM for global strike.

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

marclees said:

... ...
So that means now there are 2 unhappy admirals , the American Admirals , and the Chinese Pro carrier admirals...

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Chinese Pro carrier Admirals who are displaying such copycat and inferior thinking
should be forced to retire asap or be forced to clean and wash the Pig pen.

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

中国会建造自已的航母的，可不是现在。 对不起不会英文，用的是谷歌翻译，说中的就ok，不中。。。。那就杯具的。

China will build their own aircraft carrier, and is not now. I'm sorry not in English, using a Google translation, said that in the ok, not the. . . . Then cup fixtures.

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mods note google translation above. You need to post in English. This is an English language forum. I shall not translate your post every time you post ..google translation ... 您需要用英語發布。這是一個英文論壇。我不會翻譯您的帖子每次職位。

bd popeye super moderator

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

中国酱油党 said:

中国会建造自已的航母的，可不是现在。 对不起不会英文，用的是谷歌翻译，说中的就ok，不中。。。。那就杯具的。

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My friend, you need to elaborate more... not just post a sentense saying something or posting an opinion... you need to give references, reasons and things like that, why you think that China could create their own Carrier but not at present moment?

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

Infra_Man99 said:

4. It is a moving target, although it is a lot more expensive to fix than ground airfields.

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I would add that as a moving target it is alot harder to damage than airfields, which have known and unchanging locations and can easily be taken out by massed ballistic or cruise missile attacks from hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

ZTZ99 said:

I would add that as a moving target it is alot harder to damage than airfields, which have known and unchanging locations and can easily be taken out by massed ballistic or cruise missile attacks from hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

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Very true.

Now, their repair systems. I am guessing that the aircraft carrier's repair components (such as facilities, equipment, and machines) are a lot less mobile than the airfield's repair components.

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

Infra_Man99 said:

Very true.

Now, their repair systems. I am guessing that the aircraft carrier's repair components (such as facilities, equipment, and machines) are a lot less mobile than the airfield's repair components.

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But is someone willing to risk all out war with the US? The Americans won't take an attack on US territory very lightly, and the American public will be demanding blood from anyone who attacks US soil.

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

Pointblank said:

But is someone willing to risk all out war with the US? The Americans won't take an attack on US territory very lightly, and the American public will be demanding blood from anyone who attacks US soil.

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I agree that attacking a nation's real estate is asking for an all out war, but attacking a nation inside international or disputed regions is not as bad as attacking a nation's interior.

All out war between world powers is not likely, but we are talking about the military, which possibly leads to a hot war. Let's say war does happen and let us focus on specific issues.

Let me add to what I previously said . . .

I think it's easier to build and repair airfields at multiple locations than to build and repair aircraft carriers at multiple locations, but aircraft carriers are still much more mobile, unless you are dealing with battles within large land masses. Then carriers have to move along the coast and possibly deal with aircraft and missile range deficiencies, while lots of basic airfields can be created on a large land mass.

I still think the aircraft carrier has a lots of value, and it won't be going away anytime soon. I could easily imagine improving helicopter and drone facilities on future frigates, future destroyers, future cruisers, future recon ships, and future supply ships. Aircrafts are very valuable for the army, navy, and, obviously, the air force. Aircrafts carry sensors, decoys, jammers, and weapons at fast speeds and at very low to high altitudes.

Submarines may even frequently use underwater drones, surface water drones, and air drones (!), and then add in at least one smaller submarine attached to the mother submarine. The smaller sub can be used for emergency escape or for more stealthy operations. I have seen some of these proposals on corporations designing and building current and future subs.

Even if missiles are advanced enough and affordable enough to be accurately launched at short to very long ranges against various targets, the missiles are still superior for offense and defense if the missiles are launched and assisted by various sources:

1. Armored buildings (underground silos, make-shift locations, and bunkers)
2. Less armored, but more mobile options (soldiers, ships, land vehicles, aircrafts, drones, and satellites)

Re: The End of the Carrier Age?

I think submarines that can deploy UCAVs are what will truly make carriers obsolete. We're talking decades here, but it's only a matter of time before UCAVs can do pretty much everything a carrier's manned jets can do. Cruise missiles can be deployed from submarines, so UAVs shouldn't be much of a problem. The advantages in terms of survivability are enormous. Have you all seen that fake video of a submarine firing an F-15 out of the water? Well, I think one day something like that may very well become a reality.