A light fleet carrier provides numbers but may emphasize strike, air defense, or anti-submarine warfare. Its air group can perform several duties, but capacity forces a stronger focus than on a full fleet carrier. A fleet carrier sustains the complete set of fleet-air tasks, while a supercarrier adds enough aircraft and support to resemble a self-contained mobile air force. The Forrestal class is a useful starting model because it was designed from the outset for roughly seventy or more aircraft, regardless of its conventional propulsion.
Chapter · 1:28:44-1:34:00
Light fleet carriers, fleet carriers, and supercarriers
Carrier categories are defined by sustainable air-group breadth and mission capacity more usefully than by displacement alone.