(05-31-2024, 10:28 AM)snarkyguy_he_him_his Wrote:

(05-31-2024, 10:25 AM)homebiscuit Wrote: That’s a plausible scenario because communist militaries typically regard their war fighters as expendable, with the exception of pilots because of their valuable and expensive training. They are not quickly replaced.

However, rather than expend aircraft and pilots, China would most likely heavily use drones and missiles to take out Taiwan’s defenses. Cheaper, quicker and less risky. That is the future of warfare the world over.

Mini guns with advanced radar have no problem with drones. 

Hard to miss when you can throw 100 bullets a second at a target

Close-In Weapons Systems on U.S. Navy ships shoot 30mm shells (flatulence of the gods, I call it), which I can guarantee cost more than a penny each. But cost is not the issue. They're a short-range weapon which, as Marty points out, have to be pre-positioned for effective field of fire. While a CIWS may be able to stop a few drones at a time, they would not be able to stop a drone swarm. It would be akin to trying to thwart a swarm of bees with a fly swatter.

---