The navy strike load and range has continually dropped since Vietnam. Ending the A-6 was a Cheney idea even though large numbers of them were brand new. The F-14d was a great load carrier with legs and speed. It was routinely launching from the Indian Ocean from beyond silkworm range, and doing strike missions with a good load over Afghanistan! We got rid of that beast and the A-6 tankers so those days are over. We went to an all 18 force but then decided to shrink things even more with the F-35 moonpig.
The carrier strike force has never had such a short range, or carried such a small load.
Oh well, I suppose it’s a total force concept where they bland in well with destroyers that cannot outmaneuver a container ship.
I wasted in an A-6 squadron in the navy. The A-6 was the best medium attack aircraft ever. Going to the F/A 18 was a huge mistake.
“The carrier strike force has never had such a short range, or carried such a small load.”
Sure they did, but you’d have to go back to the 1920’s and 1930’s when naval aviation was still in its infancy.