Brandon J. Weichert
Summary: Military experts are questioning the relevance of aircraft carriers in the face of advanced A2/AD systems that threaten their survivability. Despite this, China and India continue to develop carrier fleets. India's experience with the INS Vikramaditya, an upgraded Soviet-era aircraft carrier purchased from Russia, has informed its carrier program. Both nations see carriers as crucial for power projection, even under the threat of A2/AD systems. The Indian Navy is expanding its fleet in response to China's naval ambitions, highlighting a strategic competition between the two nations.
Military experts today are debating the usefulness of the aircraft carrier. With the creation of sophisticated anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems, the large surface warships that defined previous eras of naval warfare seem increasingly vulnerable and perhaps obsolete. Smaller, stealthier vessels, and possibly even unmanned underwater vehicles, appear to be the wave of the future.
China has spent considerable wealth to build comprehensive A2/AD networks throughout the South China Sea and along China’s coastline. These systems are meant for one thing: to stunt the ability of the U.S. Navy to project its power near Chinese shores, or in regions of the Indo-Pacific that Beijing covets. Despite these systems, though, China has invested heavily in developing indigenous carrier capabilities.
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