Uncrewed aircraft could extend carrier air groups back toward the long-range strike role that once gave carriers much of their advantage. If carriers disappear, a very large missile ship resembling a Kirov-scale arsenal ship could substitute magazines of missiles for aircraft. That alternative sacrifices some of a carrier's persistence and flexibility, while filling such a ship with missiles would impose an enormous cost. A hybrid may be possible, but neither its affordability nor its operational balance is settled.
Chapter · 42:15-44:13
Carriers, uncrewed aircraft, and the arsenal-ship alternative
Future long-range strike may restore carrier reach through uncrewed aircraft or replace aviation with missile-heavy arsenal ships, but flexibility and reload cost remain unresolved.