On the face of it I'd agree, particularly the AEW options would be far more attractive. However, if we consider the possibility that if (big if) Ocean and Ark eventually get replaced, we may find that going STOVL offers the option of building two commando carriers with ski jumps, similar to the Navantia designs being built by Australia. If that ever becomes the case having four STOVL capable carriers would offer advantages over two dedicated CTOL carriers only.