2007-09-05 08:57:38 · 18 answers · asked by quanjholmes 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
because there is more sea than land.. aircraft carries are the best strike plat forms in the world..
2007-09-05 09:01:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Air Force did not gain separate Service until after WWII. Up til then it was the Army Air Corps. It would have been very difficult for land based planes to fight some of the WWII sea battles. The Navy has aircraft carriers and aircraft because in some cases it's the faster way to deploy air cover both tactically and strategically.
2007-09-06 02:25:08 · answer #2 · answered by NavyVet64 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Begona is actually the most correct, almost by accident.
The invention of air power has made the surface naval fleet (without air support) nearly obsolete. shore bombardment is no longer enough to win decisive victories. The fleet must also be able to protect itself from enemy forces attacking it and should have SOME strike capability.
The difference is this...
Naval Air Power Uses:
Tactical Air to Air and Air to Ground Strikes
Agile combat support
search and rescue
close air support
anti submarine/surveillance
Air Force Air Power Uses:
Strategic Bombing (surgical and large strikes)
Agile Combat Support
Close Air Support
Airlift (can't be done off a carrier)
Air Refueling
Reconnaissance
AirCap
Tactical and strategic air strikes
interdiction
MUCH more
basically, the navy has the air power that it needs to support it's fleet and provide useful short to mid range strike capability. Both have supporting aircraft to jam signals, provide command and control, etc. They're BOTH needed.
2007-09-05 16:27:27 · answer #3 · answered by promethius9594 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For the same reason the Marines are the branch of the Navy that deal with ground assaults. Sometimes it sounds like an oxymoron. The fact is that if the navy didn't transport the air crafts and the marines, we would only need the Coast Guard
PS. Promethius, thanks you for your dido's, however it's not by "almost accident" that I'm correct. My husband was in the Air Force, my 2 sons in the Marines, my son in-low in the Army, Guess what? There is a lot of brass here and I'm still the 5 star know-it-all General in this household.
2007-09-05 16:11:44 · answer #4 · answered by Bego?a R 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
because the Navy can have Aircraft on scene a lot faster than the the airforce or army in most cases also the Navy has different aircraft then the Airforce such as fighterbombers sub hunters and servailence like the E-2 while the Airforce has heavy Bombers like the B-1 and B-52 as well as most of the Heavy carry planes like the C-5 Galaxy different planes for different missions
2007-09-05 16:08:19 · answer #5 · answered by tap158 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Naval aircraft perform different missions than those of the Air Force. One of their missions is protection of the fleet, without air cover they could be vulnerable to air attack, and the Air Force doesn't have bases at sea, and can't send planes out to cover them all the time. Another mission they perform is power projection. The Air Force needs air bases to operate from, and we don't have them all over the world. The Navy takes their air bases with them.
2007-09-05 16:36:59 · answer #6 · answered by Mike W 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because out in the middle of the ocean it may take 15 hours for the air force to reach the fleet, while with an aircraft carrier you already have air support with you.
2007-09-05 16:09:33 · answer #7 · answered by Chris 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, WWII, if we did not have air craft carriers and planes in the navy, we would be speaking japanese alot more in the US of A.
The Air force is one of the recent additions to the department of defense. It used to be Navy, and Navy Air Corp, and the Army and the Army Air Corp. Then they decided basicly that the air portion of it needs to be divided out.. So the planes went to a new group, air force (land based planes), and missiles and other air attack items, chemical lasers, anti-Sat rockets were under Army control. Manned or man controlled items such as space craft were under air force control until Nasa came about.
2007-09-05 20:13:18 · answer #8 · answered by TheHangedFrog 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because you can't have an Air Force base anywhere in the world when you need it, But an Aircraft carrier can be there in less than a week.
2007-09-05 16:00:40 · answer #9 · answered by Rek T 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
All branches of the US military operate aircraft. The Army makes good use of helicopters and small fixed-wing craft. The Marines use helicopters extensively, as well as Harrier jets. The Coast Guard uses fixed-wing and fling-wing aircraft as well.
An airplane of any sort is just another tool. If it makes sense for the mission, why not have it available?
2007-09-05 16:08:30 · answer #10 · answered by Ralfcoder 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the AF's main job is logistics and transportation. The Navy blows stuff up.
BTW, in terms of actual aircraft, the Army has the most of all the branches. they like their Helos....
2007-09-05 18:14:30 · answer #11 · answered by Mrsjvb 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋