Originally Posted by
Sam Ting Wong
I have zero military knowledge, so my apologies if this is a stupid question.
When one wishes to learn one is ignorant, not stupid.
Now I naively think of any military vehicle as platform for launching missiles, rockets etc. For what does one need ships? Isn't an airborne missile platform always more powerful, more agile, more versatile, more difficult to locate? Is it the fire power of the canons?
A ship at sea can stay on station for days/weeks/months. An aircraft can stay on station for hours (and in rare cases, days).
Also, most naval war ships are Multi Purpose Combatants. They are not just "a floating missile battery" meaning that they have guns, radios, radars, sonars, and Intelligence collection systems.
They also (nowadays) act as floating airfields for UAVs, for Helicopters, and/or (
as you get much bigger ships) fixed wing aircraft. (By they VSTOL or CATABAR). They can also carry people to put ashore if the circumstances require that.
To a certain extent, you are looking at an apple and trying to see how it compares to a lug nut.
