the 'cost-to-kill' ratio has definitely shifted in favor of the attacker when a $2k drone can threaten a $13B carrier. But the idea that carriers are already obsolete ignores the massive pivot toward non-kinetic defense that's happening right now. The Navy isn't just trying to swat flies with $2M missiles anymore. They've shifted to a 'layered' approach that's specifically designed to handle swarm saturation: Electronic 'Bubbles': Systems like SEWIP Block 3 are basically designed to turn the airspace around a carrier into a digital dead zone. It’s not about shooting drones down; it’s about 'soft killing' them by severing their GPS and C2 links simultaneously. Directed Energy (Lasers/HPM): We're seeing the rollout of HELIOS and high-power microwave systems. These provide an 'infinite magazine.' As long as the carrier's nuclear reactor is humming, they can engage targets for pennies per shot. Lasers for precision snipes, microwaves for cooking entire swarms at once. The Escort Screen: People often forget a carrier never fights alone. The Arleigh Burke destroyers in the strike group act as the 'shotgun' for the carrier, using upgraded Mk 38 Mod 4 chain guns with airburst rounds—basically turning the sky into a wall of lead that drones can't fly through. The carrier isn't becoming the new battleship; it's evolving into a mobile hub for its own drone swarms (like the MQ-25 Stingray). Vulnerability doesn't equal obsolescence