Quote:
Originally posted by adamzion
You'll rarely hear this problem mentioned, because it goes against the whole "Home Improvement" mindset which Tom mentioned, but aircraft carriers have the very real potential to be, in combat, very large, very slow targets. Imagine how much chance there would be for an aircraft carrier to avoid being sunk by a determined attack with cruise missle-type missiles, or even more stanard surface-to-surface missiles. The answer to that is <b>very</b> little chance- unless the carrier is armed with very accurate, very fast anti-missile guns of some sort, it has virtually no way to defend itself against missile attacks.
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First, carrier attack was the mission of the Russian submarine Kursk. Carriers are not easily sunk by one missile - which is why the Russians were so fearful of us learning of their new missiles in the Kursk.
Second, as noted by russotto, carrier protection is the mission of Aegis. The protection must be far out from the carrier to be effective. IOW a carrier task force is hardly in sight of each other because the line of defensive must be so far out from the carrier. Aegis is currently and finally being upgraded with theatre missile protection - Patriot type missile protection. Remember the French Exorset missile that hit the American frigate about 1990 - that was a slow missile - and its warhead never exploded. In todays technology, Exorset is long obsolete. Supersonic missiles remain nearly impossible to hit as the many last tests of Star Wars demonstrates.
Therefore a carrier need remain far enough away to let their defensive weapons have enough manuevering room. The problem is that attacking aircraft cannot attack outside that defensive bubble. ie the F-18 does not carry enough fuel.
Aircraft carriers also carry some last ditch protection. But Clancy makes the point repeatedly. The carrier's real mission is simply to show the flag. What he does not say is why it does not have other missions such as offensive. He is dependent on the goodwill of his military sources.