A deck selected for today's aircraft still has to support later generations. Proposals to add limited launch assistance to the Queen Elizabeth class for drones illustrate how a STOVL ship might acquire new capabilities without a full CATOBAR conversion. Charles de Gaulle shows a different path, retaining Rafale M while the aircraft evolves through repeated upgrades. France's commitment to domestic naval aviation also makes the design of the successor carrier inseparable from the choice of its future aircraft. Modernization remains a continuing relationship between ship, launch system, and airframe.
Notable Point · 54:27-57:43
Adapt the deck across aircraft generations
Long-lived carriers may need new launch aids, drones, and steadily upgraded or replacement aircraft without abandoning the original deck concept.