Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 52:35-54:44

Why unlike carrier designs can all be good value

Comparing carriers by raw air-power output misses how Kiev, Invincible, Clemenceau, and Giuseppe Garibaldi served different doctrines.

Aircraft CarriersCATOBARClemenceau Class Aircraft CarriersInvincible Class Aircraft CarriersKiev Class Aircraft CarriersV/STOL Aircraft
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Question

Which navy obtained the best value from Kiev, Invincible, Clemenceau, Principe de Asturias, or Giuseppe Garibaldi?

Short answer

Clemenceau offered the strongest full carrier capability, but each design could be good value because it was tailored to a different navy's doctrine and constraints.

Notes

A CATOBAR carrier such as Clemenceau can generate a broader air operation than the smaller V/STOL ships, so a direct capability contest has a clear winner. Value for money, however, depends on the doctrine each navy needed to support. The Soviet Kievs combined aviation with surface strike, the British Invincibles preserved fixed-wing aviation under budget pressure, and French and Italian ships met their own national entry or continuity requirements.