"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message rthlink.net...
"Pechs1" wrote in message
...

As long as the US isn't looking to attack Mexico or Canada and as long as
it
has 'interests' abroad, it will need CV aviation.


Why?



Who is searching for a mission is the USAF...B-2s and lots of tough to
move
TacAir wings are largely irrelevent, designed for countering the 'Red
Horde'
marching across the central plains of Europe.


Carrier aviation has no advantage over land-based aviation.
Thucydes is a great read but of course he didn't know abou the
militarization of Space...
I'm not saying carrier aviation has *no* advantage over land-based
aviation. In the near term there are some real advantages in
fact..sadly mitigated by the Bug-Centric problems of effective combat
radius however. Carrier aviation has given up some important
advantages it once had though to the point that any pretense it can
operate without significant land-based assests, and for that matter
land bases themselves, is a real joke nowadays.
Where is the ELINT based? Most of the other recce assets as well? The
majority of the gas that is passed to the woefully shortlegged
airgroup comes from where? If those assests do in fact have a
sucessful rendezvous with the tanker-as was seen recently that could
be a big if-and they don't drop their load where do they go to deposit
this ordnance so they can get back aboard? Don't have enough to
commit these "delicate instruments" to the briny deep.
No true stealth is really palnned for the airgroup so the B-2s have
job security. The navy can't drop anything bigger than 5000 lbs so
those TAC Air wings will still be needed as well.
Sure the Common Aero Vehicle is not a highly visible instrument of
state, but in the post Cole world the whole concept of Showing The
Flag is now a draconian intrusive episode for the host countries
because of our security demands anyway.
Bottom line is the touted reasons for a carrier are becoming less than
truly real. And the military space assests are becoming more viable
and compelling. The choice for NAVAIR is to rest on its laurels and
stay enamored with the "intrepid skygod getting back on the boat in
the single seat skychariot" mentality as it mostly has since WWII. Or
it can join the new century and stay a viable military arm.
It will be an intersting five or so years.