Quote Originally Posted by Papewaio View Post
Carriers can still be sunk and they are more in danger as technology increases. They are large, slow moving targets which will be even more prone as the UAVs become more modernized.

Just look at the leaps and bounds in the last ten years.

As for strike fighters the only reason they aren't already UAVs is not going to be a technical limitation for long. Remove the cockpit and life-support and you essentially have a lighter fighter that can perform more Gs. How is a manned aircraft going to combat it any better when the missiles are over the horizon threats already?

I can see fighters being dual control with them being UAV capable so the pilot can sleep on long hauls or potentially fly the plane to the airfield where the pilot is waiting. Even a zombie option if the pilot is incapacitated and the airframe still flying.

I think the pinnacle of aircraft carriers for manned craft has peaked.

Helicopter carriers, assault ships, hospital ships and even aircraft carriers will remain... The ac will not be the centerpiece anymore and that will be apparent with the amount of ordnance and the priority of the targets being attacked with UAVs ever increasing.

This will become more apparent when a scenario happens with aircraft carriers and UAVs on both sides of a conflict.
But it wont.

If any of the A nations goes up against another A nation, the world at large will suffer. Much better to play it safe, and bash down C nations, to keep the population in a constant state of warfare without actually having to do all the menial, pesky and bloody things that actual warfare consists of. Such as the enemy fighting back.

George Orwell was clearly the last centurys greatest thinker, but I doubt he wanted 1984 to be read as a manifesto.

And THAT is the reason why UAVs will dominate more and more. It is still such a burden that actual people die in these wars that are not wars, their families will start doing stupid things such as raise complaints. Much better to do the daily drone lost count, keep the nation at a high alert, and have people work their *** off to support the troops.