Catapults and the cost of reducing carrier capacity

Prolonging construction is criticised for leaving Britain with two carriers at roughly the cost of three. The preferred alternative fits catapults and F-35Cs from the beginning. Clarke still values the F-35B's vertical-takeoff capability, but agrees that the ships should have had catapults. Carrier dimensions also impose abrupt thresholds in aircraft capacity. A slightly wider hangar can make maintenance easier, whereas narrowing it by only a foot or two can remove an entire row of aircraft. Further reductions then save space without changing capacity until the next whole row becomes impossible to accommodate.