DaleFranks t1_j6pblfo wrote on January 31, 2023 at 11:02 PM

> This of course means that eventually seafaring vessels will become obsolete.

And why would it mean that? Seaborne transport will likely still be the most economical means of large bulk transport. Thus, there will still be the need to provide security for transport routes, thus surface naval ships.

We've had aircraft for over a century now, and none of us are flying autogyros to work every day. The existence of a new technology that is fantastic at Task A doesn't imply that it will also be fantastic at Tasks B or C.

BluntBastard OP t1_j6phmaf wrote on January 31, 2023 at 11:42 PM

Well, sure. But think about just how vulnerable naval assets are these days. Look at the limitations imposed on Russia's Black Sea fleet due to Ukraine possessing some missiles. Think about China's "carrier killer missiles" that, while admittedly are untested, still pose a threat to the US and forces them to change their strategies. Think also of just how expensive navies are and the logistics that involve their daily operations, how slow they are, etc.

What I'm trying to convey is that there may be technologies in the future that provide better opportunities for the protection of shipping then what navies can provide. We already have satellite strike weapons, it isn't to far fetched of an idea of those becoming more prevalent. Missile tech will continue to advance, as will drone technology.

This is all speculative of course. But navies will always be bound to certain speeds due to physics. Eventually I believe that they will become outdated. I could be wrong. We'll see.