Historical carrier limits forced navies to balance hull numbers, air-group size, and protection within a fixed tonnage total. A 270,000-ton allowance would permit ten ships at the 27,000-ton individual ceiling. Britain could enlarge an Ark Royal-style design from about 22,000 to roughly 25,000-26,000 tons to combine a large air group with an armored flight deck. Deck-edge lifts could increase hangar space without the added weight that British designers feared. The United States could develop the Yorktown pattern with its flight deck serving as a strength deck. Designs lighter than the ceiling would leave room for additional smaller carriers: ten 25,000-ton ships, for example, leave 20,000 tons unused. Soviet carrier construction would be most useful for the Northern and Pacific fleets, with less scope in the confined Baltic and Black Sea.
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How higher tonnage changes fleet-carrier design
A 270,000-ton allowance gives Britain and the United States room for larger carriers with stronger flight decks, or additional hulls if the main design comes in below the individual limit.