What is the smallest a modern aircraft carrier can be in size whilst still maitaining the ability to field a worthwhile air group. Would it be improbable to have afunctioning carrier smaller than the Juan Carlos for instance ?
For what role, what opponents and what era? A carrier optimised for the strike role against well equiped enemies will need to be larger to accommodate sufficient numbers of high performance fighter-bombers and carry adequate fuel and munitions to sustain intensive combat operations. An ASW/Sea Control carrier can get away with being smaller as it'll only have helos and maybe a single under strength squadron of STOVL fighters to see off any long-range maritime patrol aircraft or lob a Harpoon or two at stray surface combatants.What is the smallest a modern aircraft carrier can be in size whilst still maitaining the ability to field a worthwhile air group. Would it be improbable to have afunctioning carrier smaller than the Juan Carlos for instance ?
Can UAVs take off on shorter runways that regular planes?
Ah, I wasn't sure if G-force issues helped out or not.Depends on the size and type of the UAV. They range from micro UAVs that can takeoff in a few feet to full sized Jets that take a full runway or a fullsized Carrier. UAVs come in more shapes and sizes than manned aircraft.
Ah, I wasn't sure if G-force issues helped out or not.
Mostly, take-off distance is a function of size and top speed, the smaller and slower an object, the shorter the distance it requires. For example, the Britten-Norman Islander has a take-off distance of only 380m, while the comparably sized but faster Cessna 401 has a take-off distance of 537m.Can UAVs take off on shorter runways that regular planes?
Ah, I wasn't sure if G-force issues helped out or not.
Whoa, I completely misread the title and thought this was a thread about devising the smallest particle accelerator.