Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!cbnews!asulaima@udenva.cair.du.edu From: asulaima@udenva.cair.du.edu (SULAIMAN) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Aircraft Carrier Surviveability Message-ID: <5633@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 14 Apr 89 01:11:52 GMT References: <5552@cbnews.ATT.COM> Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: U of Denver Lines: 44 Approved: military@att.att.com From: asulaima@udenva.cair.du.edu (SULAIMAN) In article <5552@cbnews.ATT.COM> pv04+@andrew.cmu.edu (Philip Verdieck) writes: >One facet of this discussion regarding hypothetical CBG forays which >I poorly ignored in my previous posting was, that I was referring to >dangers from the Soviet Fleet. I wasn't including their land-based >aircover in my statement. Just any forces from the fleet's air, missiles, >subs, etc. > >I was hoping for a discussion on what would happen in a Fleet vs. Fleet >situation. Obviously we would have and edge with our Carrier Air Wings, >(Although that should slowly change when they have their full-size >carriers) if the action ever closed to ship-to-ship missile, who would >come out on top. >Assuming it got closer would any of our (Iowa Class?) Battleships stack >up to their Soviet couterparts? > >(I would prefer to ignore subs and ASW for this conflict) >-- First its hard to envision such a conflict. In the event that USN trapped or lured a Sov BG to battle I can say very safely that the Sovs will lose and badly so. As mentioned earlier their CVs aren't really carriers and even the Soviet navy calls them ASW cruisers. Their combat air wing of 12 or so planes will be eaten up in minutes by a US carrier wing. The ships will then fall to long range air-strikes by A-6s and F-18s. I doubt if there will be any ship-to-ship combat. Reminiscent of Midway in the respect that the ships never actually saw each other. If through some freak chance or due to loss of significant air-assets a Sov BG actually meets a US BG I think it will be even odds. The Sovs use big SSM but the US has better SSM protection on ships. The US has its Iowa class and the Sovs have the nuclear powered Kirovs. All in all it may go to the commander with better fleet tactical ability. Although this a la Jutland scenario is highly unlikely except among a group of small ships. You really can't ignore the air aspect because its a part of both sides doctrine. The Sovs use their land based naval air to grind the US CVBG down and the US plans to use the CVs planes for defence and offense. Nobody really knows for sure about the new Sov CVs but it is reported that they'll carry approx 60 planes a lot less than US CVs but then their composition will make a lot of differnce. A nightmarish scenario would be a 160 Sov Backfires flying from home and at last stage being provided air cover by a forward deployed CV of the new type with its 40-50 interceptors providing air-cover and air-superiority.