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A comment on USN AN-1 Submarine Aircraft Carrier (2018).

Re:USN AN-1 Submarine Aircraft Carrier (2018) by arithmomachist on Thursday January 21, 2021 @02:37PM (#25863137)
Given that carriers are increasingly boxed out from shore by anti-ship missiles and drones are a lot smaller than crewed aircraft, I wonder if this design concept is due for a revival.

I could imagine drones launched vertically with single-use rocket boosters that would then land on the water for retrieval. You could get much closer to shore than a carrier while still carrying out a pretty effective air strike, especially with several subs.

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Re:USN AN-1 Submarine Aircraft Carrier (2018) by jasonwatkinspdx on Thursday January 21, 2021 @03:24PM (#25863739)
Reusability creates a lot more complexity vs just cruise missiles. Current generation US attack subs have multi-purpose tubes that can launch underwater drones, etc. So they are designed for some flexibility, but the main use is just tomahawk missiles.
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Re:USN AN-1 Submarine Aircraft Carrier (2018) by AnimalMuppet on Thursday January 21, 2021 @02:49PM (#25863279)
Apart from the "reusable" part, your proposal sounds a lot like cruise missiles, which subs can and do launch. True, reusable is nice. But a cruise missile can also carry a lot bigger payload than a reusable drone can.
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