Topic: Why not build smaller Aircraft Carriers? 4

bushpig1998 · April 12th, 2005

I agree. The super carriers will not disappear anytime soon, but more countries will start investing in smaller carriers.

The ideal situation would be a smaller carrier with ramp with small multirole planes on it - lots of 'em. The F14 is one of the coolest birds even IMO, but it is very large and really could not get off the deck withoiut a catapult.

Say something like a hopped up hunter hawk (just an example) or the HDI concept I mentioned in another thread. Small, light weight, very long range, more limited payload, but still enough to do some damage. Basically a carriers role is to allow some operation to clear a path for land forces to settle or take out selected targets - I don't think you would launch a carpet bombing campaign from a carrier...
With the new smart munitions, you don't need 20 bombs on a plane to hit 2 targets. 4 Should be enough.

This would be a very fast, small carrier with around 20 aircraft on it. Maybe something like 12 fighters and 8 copters?

Just an idea...

View Poll Results :Smaller Aircraft Carriers
Good Idea	10	66.67%
Bad Idea	5	33.33%
Voters: 15. You may not vote on this poll

April 12th, 2005	Post 31
bushpig1998 Optio	I agree. The super carriers will not disappear anytime soon, but more countries will start investing in smaller carriers. The ideal situation would be a smaller carrier with ramp with small multirole planes on it - lots of 'em. The F14 is one of the coolest birds even IMO, but it is very large and really could not get off the deck withoiut a catapult. Say something like a hopped up hunter hawk (just an example) or the HDI concept I mentioned in another thread. Small, light weight, very long range, more limited payload, but still enough to do some damage. Basically a carriers role is to allow some operation to clear a path for land forces to settle or take out selected targets - I don't think you would launch a carpet bombing campaign from a carrier... With the new smart munitions, you don't need 20 bombs on a plane to hit 2 targets. 4 Should be enough. This would be a very fast, small carrier with around 20 aircraft on it. Maybe something like 12 fighters and 8 copters? Just an idea... __________________ \"...but Napoleon and all his veterans have never treated us so roughly as these hard-bitten farmers with their ancient theology and their inconveniently modern rifles.\"-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on the Boer. www.fambook.com