Every generation, new weapons emerge that challenge the aircraft carrier, causing some to declare the floating airfields obsolete. In fact, many experts worry the aircraft carrier could become the new ‘battleship’ of the 2020s: an old warship that seems hopelessly obsolete in the face of new threats.
Submarines, missiles, satellites, and hypersonics have all raised questions about the aircraft carrier’s survivability. Yet the carrier remains central to US naval strategy, actively deployed worldwide.
Aircraft Carrier in Hard Turn. Image Credit: Creative Commons.