Paper comparisons between unlike carriers miss the aggregate capabilities of escorts, submarines, aircraft, and supporting groups. A carrier should be judged by how well it performs its assigned role inside a battle group and then within the larger task force. Russian STOBAR carriers and American supercarriers make a poor one-for-one comparison because they were built for different mission profiles. Interwar Britain demonstrates the same point: Ark Royal emphasized strike while the armored Illustrious class was intended to operate closer to the fleet. Their different protection and air-group choices reflected different positions in one operational plan rather than a simple ranking of better and worse ships.
Notable Point · 1:19:21-1:24:29
Judge carriers inside their task groups
A carrier's value depends on how well it performs its assigned role within a battle group and task force, not on isolated specification comparisons.