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Post by mcnoch on Aug 25, 2012 2:57:50 GMT -5
At Midway the USN had three aircraft carriers: USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Hornet (CV-8) and the USS Yorktown (CV-5), which the Japanese thought they had sunken at the battle of Coral Sea (together with the USS Lexington (CV-2), but she was only damaged and was sunken in the Battle of Midway.
The USS Langley (CV-1) never saw military operations. The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was undergoing repairs during the battle of Midway
At the start of the war the USN had the USS Ranger (CV-4) in the Atlantic, she was later part of Op. Torch. The USS Wasp (CV-7) joined her for some time in 41/42, before returning to the Pacific after the Battle of Midway.
Slow flying drones are no real danger to a carrier battle group, but they might be lucky once. Drones are designed for other activities, if you want to overwhelm the air defense capabilities of a carrier battle group you use waves of missiles. But the US aircraft carriers are well prepared for that. A much bigger problems are submarines, especially the silent subs in coastal areas, which have improved significantly over the last two decades and are much easier to operate even by less highly trained countries. If China would start to operate a number of them, the USN would be in a worse strategic position, so it is natural that they develop and update the old SOSUS systems to counter these new threats in other areas.
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Post by Swampy on Aug 25, 2012 9:05:41 GMT -5
Waves of missiles could overwhelm the limited number of pilot-driven aircraft, but guns firing uranium-depleted shells can overwhelm those waves of missiles.
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Post by mcnoch on Aug 25, 2012 11:01:11 GMT -5
Sure, that is what the Phalanx system is for. And since the introduction of C-RAM not only the Navy can enjoy its protection, but also the grunts. Since 2009 the system was able to shoot down more hundret of incoming grenades and shells aimed at US forces or important buildings.
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