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You do not need to manuver to hit a carrier? 35mph is "slow" relative to a missle, and a carrier takes literally minutes to speed up / slow down / turn. You can

You do not need to manuver to hit a carrier? 35mph is "slow" relative to a missle, and a carrier takes literally minutes to speed up / slow down / turn. You can math out and shoot a literal cannonball and hit a moving 35MPH carrier within a few inches...

AnimalMuppet 4y ago
Two problems: First, you need accurate, current location info on the carrier. That's not easy. Second, you need something that can launch your cannonball. That's not easy, either, because if you're within cannonball range of a carrier, then you are within range of an enormous amount of return fire from the carrier strike group, and you're dead long before you get a chance to fire your cannonball. The problem is getting current targeting information to a launcher that's 1000 miles away from the carrier, and then the carrier still moves enough to really matter during the time that your missile travels that 1000 miles.
- Justin_K 4y ago
  Using satellite imagery or a swarm of drones would make it easy to know and predict the rough location of a carrier within a couple of miles
  - AnimalMuppet 4y ago
    Well, let's see. Say "hypersonic" is 4000 MPH. 1000 miles/4000 MPH is 1/4 hour. At 35 miles/hour, in that time the carrier can move 8.75 miles. If it's traveling more-or-less in a straight line, you can predict where it will be to within a couple of miles. If not...
  - nradov 4y ago
    Where does that "swarm“ of drones come from? Any drones cheap enough to use in a swarm have very limited endurance and weak sensors. Possibly useful in the littorals, but a total joke for blue water operations. Satellites are limited and impossible to hide. The carrier strike force knows exactly when they are in view of an adversary's reconnaissance satellite. In any future major conflict the satellites will be the first casualties. There is a very active arms race in anti-satellite weapons.
  - dragontamer 4y ago
    > swarm of drones That swarm of drones will almost certainly be spotted by the AEGIS air defense network (the cruisers and destroyers that escort the carrier), and shot down. Cruisers and Destroyers serve as the "screening" role for the Carrier, you will always see the cruiser/destroyers first in the Carrier Strike Group no matter what angle you approach from (and vice versa, they will see you first before you get to the Carrier). This gives the cruisers/destroyers a chance to shoot down the drone swarm (or whatever air platform you're using). If its too much for the sea-based air defense systems to handle, they'll radio for assistance from the Carrier and F18 / F35 jets will be dispatched, beyond the horizon, before the swarm even sees the Carrier or pinpoints its location. That's the difficulty of fighting a Carrier. Not the Carrier itself per se, but the entire team that works together. AEGIS cruisers have the best radar systems the US Navy can offer, and their large power plants can make their RADAR systems more sensitive / higher power than anything you can possibly hope to put into a drone.
nradov 4y ago
That's not how it works. The launching platform will never have a sufficiently precise target track to hit a carrier with an unguided weapon from any significant distance. Flight time will be at least several minutes so even a slight course deviation is enough to generate a miss. The new generation of hypersonic missiles will have some onboard sensors and ability to seek out a target, but only within narrow limits.
dragontamer 4y ago
> and a carrier takes literally minutes to speed up / slow down / turn No it doesn't. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Q8P049-2Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Q8P049-2Q The US Aircraft carriers are powered by two nuclear powerplants, with massive rudders/turbines that can propel, accelerate, and move the craft at surprising speeds. In fact, one of the problems of the US Supercarriers is that at these high speeds / acceleration, an unprepared sailor can fall off the ship. Its legitimately one of the most common ways to die on a US Supercarrier.

AnimalMuppet 4y ago

Two problems: First, you need accurate, current location info on the carrier. That's not easy. Second, you need something that can launch your cannonball. That's not easy, either, because if you're within cannonball range of a carrier, then you are within range of an enormous amount of return fire from the carrier strike group, and you're dead long before you get a chance to fire your cannonball. The problem is getting current targeting information to a launcher that's 1000 miles away from the carrier, and then the carrier still moves enough to really matter during the time that your missile travels that 1000 miles.

Justin_K 4y ago
Using satellite imagery or a swarm of drones would make it easy to know and predict the rough location of a carrier within a couple of miles
- AnimalMuppet 4y ago
  Well, let's see. Say "hypersonic" is 4000 MPH. 1000 miles/4000 MPH is 1/4 hour. At 35 miles/hour, in that time the carrier can move 8.75 miles. If it's traveling more-or-less in a straight line, you can predict where it will be to within a couple of miles. If not...
- nradov 4y ago
  Where does that "swarm“ of drones come from? Any drones cheap enough to use in a swarm have very limited endurance and weak sensors. Possibly useful in the littorals, but a total joke for blue water operations. Satellites are limited and impossible to hide. The carrier strike force knows exactly when they are in view of an adversary's reconnaissance satellite. In any future major conflict the satellites will be the first casualties. There is a very active arms race in anti-satellite weapons.
- dragontamer 4y ago
  > swarm of drones That swarm of drones will almost certainly be spotted by the AEGIS air defense network (the cruisers and destroyers that escort the carrier), and shot down. Cruisers and Destroyers serve as the "screening" role for the Carrier, you will always see the cruiser/destroyers first in the Carrier Strike Group no matter what angle you approach from (and vice versa, they will see you first before you get to the Carrier). This gives the cruisers/destroyers a chance to shoot down the drone swarm (or whatever air platform you're using). If its too much for the sea-based air defense systems to handle, they'll radio for assistance from the Carrier and F18 / F35 jets will be dispatched, beyond the horizon, before the swarm even sees the Carrier or pinpoints its location. That's the difficulty of fighting a Carrier. Not the Carrier itself per se, but the entire team that works together. AEGIS cruisers have the best radar systems the US Navy can offer, and their large power plants can make their RADAR systems more sensitive / higher power than anything you can possibly hope to put into a drone.

nradov 4y ago

That's not how it works. The launching platform will never have a sufficiently precise target track to hit a carrier with an unguided weapon from any significant distance. Flight time will be at least several minutes so even a slight course deviation is enough to generate a miss. The new generation of hypersonic missiles will have some onboard sensors and ability to seek out a target, but only within narrow limits.

dragontamer 4y ago

> and a carrier takes literally minutes to speed up / slow down / turn No it doesn't. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Q8P049-2Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Q8P049-2Q The US Aircraft carriers are powered by two nuclear powerplants, with massive rudders/turbines that can propel, accelerate, and move the craft at surprising speeds. In fact, one of the problems of the US Supercarriers is that at these high speeds / acceleration, an unprepared sailor can fall off the ship. Its legitimately one of the most common ways to die on a US Supercarrier.