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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.

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.