A projection from Hermes and Hōshō suggests that a 27,000-ton purpose-built carrier could conservatively support about 52 aircraft. Ark Royal and Implacable show how rapidly capacity and protection improve with scale: Ark Royal carried roughly 72 aircraft on about 22,000 standard tons, while a larger design could approach 70-80 aircraft and add armour. Ark Royal's strong flight and hangar decks are presented as a step toward the armoured Illustrious and Implacable designs. The countervailing treaty incentive was numbers, since building at about 22,000 tons let Britain fit six carriers into 135,000 tons. Procurement therefore became a fleet-level choice between individual survivability and air-group power on one side and another available deck on the other.
Notable Point · 35:29-37:43
Why 27,000 tons changed the carrier trade-off
Scaling a purpose-built carrier toward 27,000 tons could combine a larger air group with armour, while a 22,000-ton design bought Britain a sixth hull under the historical allowance.