Reconnaissance increasingly uses satellites or sensor pods on aircraft such as fighters, while the limited space aboard carriers encourages the consolidation of other roles too. A carrier has fixed hangar and storage capacity, and each additional aircraft type needs its own spares. An illustrative 72-aircraft group divided into six twelve-aircraft squadrons of different types requires six sets of stores. Using 24 aircraft of one type and 48 of another reduces that to two sets, making room for rarer components that are difficult to justify for only twelve aircraft. A shore base can add storage buildings, but enlarging a ship's hull with extra storage blisters can create stability problems. These constraints help explain naval aviation's contribution to multi-role aircraft design.
Notable Point · 50:33-53:45
Carrier storage pushes aircraft toward multi-role design
Limited carrier storage rewards fewer aircraft types and common spares, helping explain the move toward multi-role naval aircraft.