February 24, 20179 yr The Age of the Strike Carrier is Over (CIMSEC) Some problems with this article, not the least of which is a misunderstanding of the actual history which reflects negatively on the overall argument being put forward. This comment, for example, talking about Desert Storm: Naval air forces proved totally unprepared for the precision munitions revolution, lacking laser target designators on the A-6s and A-7s that still formed the mainstays of the fleet. The PGM capability of the A-6E TRAM Intruder was in place long before Desert Storm. And Navy A-6E jets dropped a significant proportion of the munitions delivered. (The proportion of PGMs was small overall, something like 5% of total munitions, but that was true across all services/platform and the bad weather/smoke/haze of the battlefield made it difficult for all EO/IR guided munitions). The author also seems to ignore the contribution made by Navy fired TLAMs and the role of Navy electronic warfare. (The latter is particularly important, since a large portion of the USAF role in EW virtually disappeared soon after Desert Storm).
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