> Their batteries only last a few minutes,

Today. So many things we have seen in the last couple of years have been pure sci-fi a decade ago. Switchblade 600, for example, has a loitering time of 40 minutes and a range of 24 minutes.

> and they barely move much faster than a carrier.

Fly in the direction bow to stern, low above the water. Or just ... loiter in the path of the carrier.

You're really missing the point. Have you ever even been on a boat? The Pacific Ocean is a big place, and carriers don't move in predictable straight lines. Drones aren't going to be able to loiter in place indefinitely just on the hope that a carrier might wander into range.

The Chinese are not stupid. Their A2/AD doctrine is based on large, expensive manned aircraft and fast missiles, not slow and weak little "drones".

I was surely making things up on this one. I’m certainly missing many points.