[xrp]

Well, if I were trying to get a jetliner close enough to an aircraft carrier to crash it then I would charter a plane, submit a flight plan that would take it over the carrier, follow the flight plan until I'm overhead or close to it, and then just dive into the carrier at maximum velocity. The carrier doesn't sit still. The carrier's combat air patrol doesn't like other aircraft getting too close to its carrier. The carrier is escorted by Aegis cruisers and destroyers that are packed with a few dozen surface-to-air missile each. The carrier and escort radar can pick up an air intruder about 100 miles away. The carrier's airborne early warning radar (Hawkeyes) can spot an air intruder up to 250 miles away.

A carrier at sea would be very, VERY hard to get an approach on.

[AntiGuv]

I realize all that. I'm just saying how I would attempt to do it if I were to attempt to do it - which I would not. I recognize things can veer off plan and you can instead end up in a cow pasture in Pennsylvania, or something..

[Antoninus]

A carrier at sea would be very, VERY hard to get an approach on.

If I remember correctly, the captain of the Kitty Hawk was canned recently because a Russian plane successfully buzzed the ship. I assume that they're a little more prepared now, but that incident was very troubling when it happened.