Hi Engines,
You are the second person in two days that has mentioned a sped requirement for the carrier
A big and fast ship - at least 65,000 tons and around 30 knots
HMS Hermes was a very small conventional aircraft carrier that operated Buccaneers and the ugly duckling. On a very good day with a following wind and a two mile long down hill slope she MIGHT just reach 28knots but that would be on a wing and a prayer, yet she still managed to launch and recover those aircraft.
We have all read how more efficient, powerful the latest EMALS system is, so my question to you and others that are pushing the speed requirement is why? Why the need for the 30 knots and what escort ships will achieve these types of speed in anything other than the calmest of conditions.
I absolutely agree with NAB that trying to model manning and costs for a new carrier that isn't a CVS (but isn't a CVN either) is a really difficult exercise, made harder by the dilution of carrier aviation knowledge and experience within the FAA and the RN.
The last time we launched\recovered an aircraft via cats and traps was 1978! I would suggest our experience is now so diluted it is as pure as the water we made on those old steam powered ships! We are starting from scratch but thanks to our very close ally we can at least make a start at re-creating this lost skill.
Instead of debating which aircraft, I believe our politicians should be asking, 'Can we afford to be a nation that operates aircraft carriers?'