Have long-range missiles and submarines made aircraft carriers unable to operate in high-threat environments?
Short answerNo. They make carrier operations harder, but ballistic and low-altitude hypersonic weapons create different detection and interception problems rather than an automatic carrier kill.
NotesLong missile range does not by itself settle whether a carrier can operate in a high-threat environment. Anti-ship ballistic missiles climb into the upper atmosphere, where their launch and approach can be detected and tracked, giving defenders an opportunity to engage them. Low-altitude hypersonic weapons present a different problem because the curvature of the Earth limits the radar horizon and compresses warning time. Over-the-horizon radar may indicate that something is approaching without immediately providing the precise track needed for interception. Missile defence is therefore a contest among trajectories, sensors, warning time, and engagement systems rather than a simple range comparison.