We are well in the era of air superiority and moving ever closer to the era of drones. Tanks are relevant for the previous wars only.
We are well in the era of air superiority and moving ever closer to the era of drones. Tanks are relevant for the previous wars only.
... and? Tanks don't have to rely on stealth to be effective. Air strikes are only reliable if you have some degree of air superiority. And tanks can move - depending on what kind of artillery you're facing, they might not be able to chase a moving target.
There were tank-on-tank battles in the US's invasion of Iraq, so they're not that out-of-date. Plus, while there aren't going to many tank-on-tank battles, tanks are an important component of combined arms tactics - you need infantry to take urban areas, and infantry is more effective with armoured support.
I'm not arguing that tanks have 0 value. I'm saying their value has diminished. In WWII they were the dominant technology, and if total war broke out during the Cold War it would have been as well.
But, today their role is diminishing to newer technologies.
I think we'll see the same happen to aircraft carriers, they'll be usurped by smaller drones that could launch from cruisers or destroyers.
It's not unlike computer tech. We are seeing SSDs replace hard disks. The platter disk still has a role, but we all see the writing on the wall.