With the advent of the VC-22A Osprey and aircraft such as the VSTOL version of theF-35, has the CTOL ( convention take off & landing) aircraft carrier been eclipsed or will it continue to serve the US Navy?
by 
Pointeman1
ANSWERS: 5
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the v-22 is basically an air-ferry. among other things it sort of has a tendency to fall out of the sky and wasn't wanted by it's end-users any way. the JSFF (Joint Strike Force Fighter) is a mach-2 weapons platform. They are completely different airplanes with different missions.
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of course its here to stay... should we get rid of dozens of emergency landing platforms in the middle of the worlds oceans. should we get rid of dozens of launch platforms in the middle of the worlds oceans. should we give up the element of surprise and disorientation...protecting our bigger carriers and subs etc
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As advanced as the Marines' F-35 is, it's not going to take the place of the conventional carrier fighter. Note that the Navy's version of the F-35 is a navalized version of the Air Force's F-35A, but not a VSTOL version. VSTOL aircraft are very effective at their limited mission profile, but are not nearly as effective as say, an F/A-18E at its core roles, even given the age of that platform.
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While VSTOL air craft have their place in the arsenal, they are not yet to where they can really replace more conventional aircraft. VSTOL is notorious for being very costly on the plane's fuel. So, while these planes can operate from bases that conventional planes can't, they don't have the range of their more conventional cousins. In the case of the Marine version of the F-35, the lift fan system also adds a considerable amount of weight and occupies space that could be used for something else in more conventional fighters. This would also reduce its range. So, don't expect to see conventional aircraft or carriers phased out anytime soon. They still play a very important roll in the Navy.
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Good question. No, I don't think the traditional carrier will be eclipsed by such air craft. Although the Osprey is now in service and the F-35 is right around the corner, they're still limited in what they do. Whenever you try to make a hybrid aircraft to do many things, you invariably give up some other feature. In my opinion for the forseeable future (50-100yrs) the US will still need conventional aircraft and air craft carriers.
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