4 ms·
> Makes me wonder if the form-factor of a carrier can be shrunk since drones can reliably hit much smaller landing spots reliably. As unmanned aircraft don't n
by rumanator 7y ago
> Makes me wonder if the form-factor of a carrier can be shrunk since drones can reliably hit much smaller landing spots reliably.
As unmanned aircraft don't need to meet requirements regarding G-force limits on takeoff and landing, I'm sure it would be possible to shrink carriers.
- mikece 7y agoCatapult-launch and arrested recovery will still require significant force handling ability whether there's a human meat bag at the controls or not, but not having a human on board allows for a much more efficient aircraft design (though that designed efficiency would lead to variable designs depending on the mission: endurance/ISR, high-speed/high-G attack, or heavy-lift/cargo/tanker, etc).
- a3n 7y agoCatapult launch could probably be much more forceful and frequent without a mounted H1-A Human.
- toomuchtodo 7y agoTrue, with newer catapult systems linear motor driven instead of steam driven.
- alexhutcheson 7y agoThe human tolerance has never really been a limiting factor. As catapult technology and jet technology has gotten better, we've used the additional thrust to launch heavier, more capable aircraft, rather than increasing the initial launch speed.