What we support and defend

[carl]

Not sure that speed is all that important as I viewed the ships as being relatively fixed. You might want to consider the following map...with regard to AIR LOC. The physical geography hasn't changed much since the 1940s so these are probably the same routes to be used in a future West Pacific centered conflict.

BTW, I think your approach would require an AWACS or equivalent to provide your 787 with early warning and targeting vectors. Mine might be able to benefit from OTHR sites or something like the Cobra Judy to provide the early warning for targeting air threats. Costs a bunch to fly/maintain those AWACS, not so much for land or sea-based long range detection systems

WM:

That is a first class map. Nowadays you would have to add routes to and from Japan and Taiwan.

Why would an airborne missileer type airplane not be able to use cueing from ground based long range radars? I am not being argumentative (for once), I just don't see why they couldn't benefit.

The AWACS planes are going to be flying all the time all over anyway so I don't see that as something extra that would be needed. Maybe a big missileer could provide escort for that as well. It wouldn't need the tanker support fighters would require.

I think you might be able to get 20 knots in a container ship for free. The cursory reading I did on those ships seems to indicate that is around the base speed for those things. It wouldn't have to go that fast all the time but the speed would be very useful at times.

This kind of brainstorming is great fun, though I suspect people who actually know about these things are crossing their eyes in frustration at my ignorance.

This is turning into a heck of a discussion. We have WWII, high performance fighter tech, tank guns, Canadian Indians vis a vis the Canadian gov, French and British patterns of colonial administration, Dr. Strangelove, the changing political views of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence plus other things I forgot.

Good luck, David, with untangling this.