The ASBM is an interesting twist in carrier warfare, though it isn't the carrier killer its made out to be. At max range it still takes 12 minutes to target, and a carrier in war time should be moving at quite a clip. This kind of weapon requires a direct hit to be effective, and thusly with the ranges involved would require some advanced guidence in the terminal phase. From what I've read this requires some form of sensor being placed on the carrier from another asset - likely which could easily be removed by force with everything a CVBG has available.
Carriers bring to the table a whole host if abilities that a SSN doesn't. They both have their uses in an even sided knock down drag out fight between superpowers. Yes carriers are prime targets, but they are also very highly defended.
About the most interesting development that I expect will come out of the refinement of ASBMs is the decentralization of the supercarrier. By that I mean we might see new smaller carriers (kinda like the escort carrier of WWII) or possibly carrier/sub combos. These, if built and utilized as a network, would bring the same capabilities of a single larger carrier but not be as vulnerable to detection/loss. But this all hinges upon how much a threat these missiles are seen to be, which all boils down to their reliability and effectiveness.
|