Sorry not "I know", but "as I understand":dmereifield wrote:Is this really the case? As you may know, my ignorance abounds on such matters, which is why I’m here asking such questions. Can a T45 with only a HMS have a realistic chance of detecting a submarine before it falls within torpedo range? If it can, can it actively track it and maintain a position beyond torpedo range until the Merlin is capable of taking off and investigating/prosecuting? I’m thinking about times when the Merlin may not be available due to maintenance or poor weather conditions.
- T45 HMS is not good enough to "beat" Subs. It can do something, (say provide a sonar screened area that subs cannot stay without being detected), but if it is 1-by-1 hunting, sub will detect T45 much before T45 detect Subs. So Subs hunts T45, not vice-versa.
- I know, T45 carries ship-turpedo-defence-system, a set of anti-torpedo soft-kill scheme. I understand it has a so-so good (but far from perfect) possibility to get rid of a torpedo. For Sub, it will be important to reach near the T45, so that soft-kill cannot be effective.
- When someone is saying T45 with Merlin for ASW, I "guess" it is just using the Merlin as "one of the 9 Merlins" needed to do, hunter-killer operation in 24/7 basis. In this case, Merlin do search for subs, and not rely on CAPTAS4 for queuing. This is the how Invincible-class CVS as a ASW carrier did with SeaKing, (and Ocean do, as well as QE will do with Merlin HM2) their ASW tasks.
To my understanding, T45 have never deployed with Merlin embarked. Always a Wildcat or 2 Wildcats.Lastly, even if it can, do the T45s regularly embark a Merlin? I thought they mostly carried the Wildcats?
Hope this will help you...