1/350 scale CVN-90 USS United States Stealth Aircraft Carrier

[kerick]

Looking good! More patience than me.

[Captain Canada]

I don't want to add to the carpet monster's appetite any more than I have to.

Haha ! True....

[seadude]

As a famous naval Captain once said during the War of 1812: "Don't give up the ship!"
No, I haven't given up the ship. It's just been on a bit of a hiatus while I take a brief break during the Christmas holiday. 
But...........I'm starting to think and plan on removing the bow (front) starboard and port weapon sponsons that I had scratch built (See various posts on Page 18 of this model thread.) and instead remake new ones (for the third time) all over again.    Every time I look at them, they just look awful. I am still hoping to go back to my original idea of "combining" the starboard and port bow weapon sponsons with the rest of the underneath angled hull structure as shown in the first picture below. The below pictures show a new plan for possibly remaking the starboard and port weapon sponsons. Honestly, I think I like using these parts much better. They look a bit better and I hope they work out well if I eventually use them.
P.S. - The carrier hull in the pictures is a second Enterprise hull that I started long ago, but never finished. It is not the current carrier hull I am working on in this model thread.

[seadude]

Something else I've just thought of..............
How much defensive firepower is enough for this carrier? 
I'll have at least:
1. 6 laser defense turrets
2. VLS cells on the bow port & starboard weapon sponsons as well as the aft port & starboard weapon sponsons for ESSM missiles.
3. Mk.36 SRBOC chaff/flare launchers and/or NULKA decoy launchers.
But what if the ship is facing enemy swarms of dozens or hundreds of drones? Then what? What if the all the ESSM missiles and laser defense turrets can't keep up and shoot them all down?
This is where I'm giving some thought to "micro missile launchers". Anybody remember watching the Macross series of Japanese anime with all the Valkyrie fighters that could fire dozens of micro missiles at an enemy? That's kind of what I'm thinking for my carrier.
Long ago, I picked up two boxes of the following as shown below. I could repurpose the launchers as small micro missile launchers to fire micro missiles against small to medium sized enemy drones.
Small sized missiles aren't fiction anymore. Here's a link to one example being developed for the Navy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAVAIR_Spike
What do you guys think? Add them to the carrier or not?

[Gondor]

I like the idea of the micro-missile, and you could always have a crewman or ten with a 0.5 cal gun haveing a go at drones as well.

Gondor

[NARSES2]

I like the idea of micro missiles as well, but if you had a "swarm" of drones attacking you wouldn't a good old 5" dual purpose gun be as good ? It could simply fire a lot of high explosive shells at the drones and given the power of modern explosives the blast would be enough to disable a few of them with every round, or at least disrupt their electronics ?

[seadude]

I like the idea of the micro-missile, and you could always have a crewman or ten with a 0.5 cal gun haveing a go at drones as well.

Gondor

I like the idea of micro missiles as well, but if you had a "swarm" of drones attacking you wouldn't a good old 5" dual purpose gun be as good ? It could simply fire a lot of high explosive shells at the drones and given the power of modern explosives the blast would be enough to disable a few of them with every round, or at least disrupt their electronics ?

I don't think 5" guns or even smaller .50 cal guns are going to be much use against drones. As technology advances, drones/UAV's get smarter, stealthier, faster, and more agile.
I mean, my carrier model is represented as something from the 2030's or even 2040's. In that timeframe, not even gun CIWS systems will have been of much use anymore against antiship missiles or drones.
The current US Navy's 5"/54 and 5"/62 guns are nice. But they only have a rate of fire of 16-20 rounds per minute. Is that even enough to stop hordes of drones coming after a ship?
The last time you saw those types of guns on a US Navy carrier type vessel was on the Tarawa class amphibious assault ships long ago.
But...........I could be mistaken about the effectiveness of larger calibre guns against drones. Maybe..........just maybe..........they could be used against drones?
Here's a link that's well worth reading: https://www.twz.com/sea/uss-carneys-red-sea-operations-highlight-5-inch-deck-guns-anti-air-capability
But as far as my model goes, no larger gun systems will be added.
I will have some smaller Mk.38 25mm chain gun systems (At least four.) on board for defense against small terrorist boats and such. But other than that, no other gun systems.
If I do decide to add some smaller .50 machine guns, I haven't decided yet how many to have or where to even put them.

[Gondor]

Admittedly I was talking last ditch "something is better than nothing" type sinariro and there are probably, or could be by your time line, man-portable weapons available.

Gondor

[philp]

First off isn't most defense of the carrier the responsibility of the Carrier Group?

That said, you might find this video an interesting option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R97f6Qy-e-0

[NARSES2]

I don't think 5" guns or even smaller .50 cal guns are going to be much use against drones. As technology advances, drones/UAV's get smarter, stealthier, faster, and more agile.
I mean, my carrier model is represented as something from the 2030's or even 2040's. In that timeframe, not even gun CIWS systems will have been of much use anymore against antiship missiles or drones.
The current US Navy's 5"/54 and 5"/62 guns are nice. But they only have a rate of fire of 16-20 rounds per minute. Is that even enough to stop hordes of drones coming after a ship?

I can see where your coming from    Thanks for that info 

[seadude]

First off isn't most defense of the carrier the responsibility of the Carrier Group?

That said, you might find this video an interesting option.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R97f6Qy-e-0

Yes, a carrier has escorts. At least 5-7 total combat ships such as cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. Plus maybe a submarine or two. And of course a replenishment ship to resupply the carrier strike group.
But if those escorts get severely damaged or destroyed, then what?

[Old Wombat]

Yes, a carrier has escorts. At least 5-7 total combat ships such as cruisers, destroyers, and frigates. Plus maybe a submarine or two. And of course a replenishment ship to resupply the carrier strike group.
But if those escorts get severely damaged or destroyed, then what?

Then, in that scenario, no matter how many defensive systems she's carrying, she's in very deep dung!

[Joe C-P]

Pods of many missiles are NOT a new concept, people!  US fighters once carried pods of multiple unguided rockets.  With modern miniaturization of electronics one could consider the same concept with guidance.

Young people this day, think they invent everything.   

[seadude]

Pods of many missiles are NOT a new concept, people!  US fighters once carried pods of multiple unguided rockets.  With modern miniaturization of electronics one could consider the same concept with guidance.

You mean like this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Precision_Kill_Weapon_System

[seadude]

Something else I might be adding to my carrier for self defense purposes. But we'll see.
In reality, it didn't work very well for the US Navy due to poor performance.
But for my what if future carrier, I'm sure the bugs will have been worked out by then.
Yes, I know a carrier's escorts can provide anti-torpedo defense. But I want my model to have a lot of offensive and defensive "punch". Know what I mean?
Anyway, it's a Countermeasure Anti-Torpedo system. Or simply, an anti-torpedo torpedo.
It's probably similar in size to the missiles used for the RAM-116 missile launching system.
The launchers would be fitted in the "alcoves" along the lower hull. I might have 2 launchers on the starboard side and 2 on the port side.
Links:
https://news.usni.org/2013/06/20/navy-develops-torpedo-killing-torpedo
https://www.twz.com/5543/the-navy-is-quietly-arming-its-supercarriers-with-anti-torpedo-torpedoes
https://www.twz.com/26347/the-navy-is-ripping-out-underperforming-anti-torpedo-torpedoes-from-its-supercarriers