Aircraft carriers Viability. Two.

Smaller Vessels.

HMS Ocean and Albion are in the class of the smaller carrier, equiptted with more helicopters and drones than actual aircraft? The Spanish proposed Matador class carriers gave the option of both V/STOL (Vertical and short take-off and landing) aircraft in conflict and helicopters in the peace role, but one does not know if this is what the British Royal Navy would do with it ships?

There is always value in good design and it has been found that smaller targets do better in wars than the larger ones that are more vulnerable to being hit? Large carriers need more defensive weapons systems to counteract incoming missiles, where as the small targets are actually more likely to avoid being hit!

One of the big problems with smaller carriers is their limitations in aircraft availability and many studies have been made for their role not just as a carrier of six to eight own jets. But that of buddy refueling systems for larger fighters to give them extended flight over returning to their own carriers?

These smaller carriers also have the advantage as the U.S. navy has found of shock attack missions with their seals on unsuspecting targets? These operations again take advantage of modern technology such as the Predator drones doing reconnaissance and pin-point target hitting, while helicopter gunships can back up boat landing craft and transport helicopters in and out quickly!