3 ms·
Given that carriers are increasingly boxed out from shore by anti-ship missiles and drones are a lot smaller than crewed aircraft, I wonder if this design conce
by arithmomachist 6y ago
Given that carriers are increasingly boxed out from shore by anti-ship missiles and drones are a lot smaller than crewed aircraft, I wonder if this design concept is due for a revival.
I could imagine drones launched vertically with single-use rocket boosters that would then land on the water for retrieval. You could get much closer to shore than a carrier while still carrying out a pretty effective air strike, especially with several subs.
- AnimalMuppet 6y agoApart from the "reusable" part, your proposal sounds a lot like cruise missiles, which subs can and do launch. True, reusable is nice. But a cruise missile can also carry a lot bigger payload than a reusable drone can.
- jasonwatkinspdx 6y agoReusability creates a lot more complexity vs just cruise missiles. Current generation US attack subs have multi-purpose tubes that can launch underwater drones, etc. So they are designed for some flexibility, but the main use is just tomahawk missiles.