The underwater drone technology being developed could drastically cut military expenditures by making aircraft carrier-centric naval strategies obsolete. Look

The underwater drone technology being developed could drastically cut military expenditures by making aircraft carrier-centric naval strategies obsolete. Look at this Orca XLUUV developed by the US Navy and Boeing - it can carry an eight ton payload, travel thousands of miles, and doesn't have to surface for extended periods (although it is diesel-electric, a hybrid of sorts). The depth limit is certainly classified but it could probably sit well below surface ship detection limits, and even be outfitted with nuclear payloads. https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/06/our-first-look-at-the-us-navys-orca-xluuv-fitted-with-payload-module/ https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/06/our-first-look-... Note this thing could also be equipped with autonomous drones, eg it could surface, release a swarm of aerial attack drones, and submerge. This sort of makes aircraft-carrier centric battle groups obsolete, and it's far cheaper too. Notably, US shipyards are mostly building military ships these days; a more rational policy would return these shipyards to building cargo ships, an area where China currently dominates. This highlights why an economy that revolves around the military-industrial sector will always lag behind economically in comparison to countries that invest in more productive enterprises; eg a tank, once build, can only destroy; building large cranes instead means you are set up for big infrastructure projects.