Would a larger twin-engine F-35-style aircraft be worth the deck and hangar cost?
Short answerOnly if its added capability outweighs the reduction in numbers; carrier defence needs a minimum mass of aircraft.
NotesA larger aircraft reduces the number a carrier can operate, so capability must be balanced against mass. A very wide twin-engine design would consume more hangar and deck space even if each aircraft carried more fuel or weapons. The Royal Navy historically calculated that roughly eighteen fighters were needed to maintain carrier-group air defence. The Queen Elizabeth class was therefore planned around thirty-six F-35Bs, allowing an eighteen-aircraft defensive component alongside a strike element. A carrier air group must cross a numerical threshold before the performance of individual aircraft becomes useful at force level.