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To: Daus

Maybe we could use old Boomer Subs—fit them with a flight deck and launcher like the Japanese did in WWII? Fit the drones with pntoons so they can land on water?


25 posted on 07/10/2013 3:37:34 PM PDT by Forward the Light Brigade (Into the Jaws of H*ll)
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To: Forward the Light Brigade
Maybe we could use old Boomer Subs—fit them with a flight deck and launcher like the Japanese did in WWII? Fit the drones with pntoons so they can land on water?

One of the aviation magazines had a good write-up about that very topic a few years ago, discussing the work that is being done and the ideas the Navy is kicking around. It's very doable depending on the size of the drone, and the range to the targets. It cuts down on the need to control as much airspace/seaspace.

The alternative is smaller aircraft carriers that are still surface ships, but with incredibly low profiles and that are fast. The idea is that if you had smaller and faster surface ships, you could reduce the need for the massive carrier battle groups that stick out like a sore thumb. What if, for the cost of a modern carrier group, you could field 3 smaller groups that were faster and didn't need to control the same amount of seaspace/airspace? It's a helluva lot harder for your enemies to deal with, because you are dividing up and diluting their defending forces.

Of course, the AF/Army view is that because the drones are getting better ranges and increased payloads, do you even need seaborne platforms for aircraft, outside of ferrying Marines around to do their business? Because of that, the Navy will probably be pushing hard for dedicated drone carriers going forward, because drones could make large parts of the Navy irrelevant.
38 posted on 07/11/2013 10:06:59 AM PDT by af_vet_rr
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