Navy analyzes future aircraft carrier designs
Are carriers obsolete? Are they too large and vulnerable to long-range precision carrier-killer missiles to operate close enough to shore to project power?
By Kris Osborn | Warrior Maven
The topic is discussed so often it might seem like old news, yet ongoing questions about the future of aircraft carriers are as, if not more, relevant today than at any other time. Are carriers obsolete? Are they too large and vulnerable to long-range precision carrier-killer missiles to operate close enough to shore to project power? Will the Navy architect a new generation of differently configured carriers? Perhaps smaller, faster and more agile?
To the extent that the Navy’s recently released 30-year shipbuilding plan offers a glimpse into current thinking about future Naval warfare, it is clear that the question will continue to receive very significant attention. The text of the plan states that, moving through the next five years and beyond, the Navy plans to analyze "carrier evolution," by writing that the service "continues to meet full funding requirements for CVN 80/81 and advanced procurement for a CVN in 2026. The department also recognizes the need for continued exploration of carrier evolution and expects to conduct an analysis of alternatives within the FYDP (Five Year Defense Spending Plan) to inform potential requirements."
CVN 80 and 81, the third and fourth Ford-class carriers, are already well underway following the successful construction of the first-in-class USS Ford which is now nearing deployment.
https://www.foxnews.com/tech/navy-analyzes-future-aircraft-carrier-designs
