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Why Aircraft Carriers Still Rule the Oceans

Posted by Soulskill on from the dolphins-are-slow-to-innovate dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Despite being created during World War I, the modern carrier has evolved to be the pinnacle of modern warfare's best and most visible symbols of power. Nothing says 'show the flag' more than a carrier off an enemy's coast. Some, though, have called the carrier a 21st-century version of a battleship — high on looks and weapons but vulnerable to modern weapons. Critics note air-power killed the battleship; people now suggest super-sonic 'carrier-killer' missiles will make the carrier a relic of the past. With their cost in the billions of dollars, some point to killing off carriers as an obvious cost saving measure. Carriers though still have a lot of uses. Many navies, like India and China, are adding them to their arsenal, and they are still feared by many. While carriers might be old, they are a symbol of power that no missile or submarine below the surface can match yet."

4 of 718 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Not sure about the thesis of the article, but.. by SQLGuru · · Score: 5, Informative

    This.

    A carrier can hit you hard with missles/guns. Or a carrier can hit you fast by launching jets. A carrier is a portable full array of armed forces (land, sea, and air).

    That's why they aren't battleships.

  2. Author obviously knows nothing about the Navy by Sparticus789 · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's not just about the Carrier. Having a Carrier says "Our nation/military is so strong, we can put 6,000 people on a boat and blow up your country from 300 miles away."

    The Carriers of today are not the Battleships of WWI. Carriers have multiple defense systems like CIWS (shoots 3,000+ RPM) and Sea Sparrow missiles. A Carrier Group will have some sort of Aegis defense mechanism on board a few ships as well. Not to mention the aircraft complement of 50+. Throw in an E-2C and not much will get within 100 miles of that Carrier.

    --
    sudo make me a sandwich
  3. Re:Sunk? by thebigmacd · · Score: 5, Informative

    I don't think you realize how inaccurate an ICBM is. There is a reason they only make nuclear ones.

  4. Re:Behold, our huge, mighty penises!! by sdguero · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to this article, while foreign opinions of Obama has slipped a bit, overall it is still far better than when Bush was in office...
    http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/06/13/12184262-survey-worlds-opinion-of-us-obama-slips?lite

    Not that I care. "Merica!