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0 pointsswitchbak1mo ago0 comments

Carriers have been in question long before this conflict. There's been a big question as to how effective and/or survivable a carrier battle group will be in the South Pacific, especially given China's long range anti-ship missiles.

There's been a whole ramp up of very exquisite technology to try to get the upper hand here, but I don't expect we'll see the carrier be the force it has been over the last few generations. It's just too tempting a target.

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jojobas1mo ago

Long-range anti-ship missiles of old are also obsolete, they and their launch problems are also too expensive for their vulnerability. A salvo Shahed-style drones launched from expendable unmanned vessels would overload a carrier group air defences way cheaper than old school ASMs from frigates.

switchbakOP1mo ago

New weaponry poses great challenges for these platforms. I don’t know if a swarm of very slow moving drones would be my biggest concern though.

You can afford to spend a few million when you’re taking down billions of dollars worth of hardware.

I would think a simultaneous barrage of maneuvering hypersonic missiles would pose a much bigger threat. A CIWS or three can take down a lot of slow drones.

pas1mo ago

but if you know there are 3 CIWS, you know they can move the pew-pew pipe at some radians per second this axis, and that axis, you put the drones in a formation to maximize the need for muzzle movement, estimate how many rounds are in them (or how long can they fire before getting overheated)

and send that number + 1 drone.

of course it's a bit oversimplified, but really with decoys, and putting cheap shaped charges on them ... they can fuck up the launch/landing surfaces, the AA capabilities, there's absolutely no way to jam them if they have the "last mile" set to automatic.

(yes, in theory a dumb and big fireball or good old flack can take out a lot of them, seems trivial, but in practice we don't see that, instead we see faster drones trying to intercept them)

jojobas1mo ago

In theory sure, in practice nobody ever tried to defend a carrier group from 500 Shaheds.

switchbakOP1mo ago

500 Shaheds? Well if we're in dreamland territory anyway, just break out your space based lasers and blow a hole through the bridge.

Or you know, lob 12 anti ship missiles at it and call it a day.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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jojobas1mo ago

switchbakOP1mo ago

New weaponry poses great challenges for these platforms. I don’t know if a swarm of very slow moving drones would be my biggest concern though.

You can afford to spend a few million when you’re taking down billions of dollars worth of hardware.

I would think a simultaneous barrage of maneuvering hypersonic missiles would pose a much bigger threat. A CIWS or three can take down a lot of slow drones.

pas1mo ago

and send that number + 1 drone.

(yes, in theory a dumb and big fireball or good old flack can take out a lot of them, seems trivial, but in practice we don't see that, instead we see faster drones trying to intercept them)

jojobas1mo ago

In theory sure, in practice nobody ever tried to defend a carrier group from 500 Shaheds.

switchbakOP1mo ago

500 Shaheds? Well if we're in dreamland territory anyway, just break out your space based lasers and blow a hole through the bridge.

Or you know, lob 12 anti ship missiles at it and call it a day.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse