Q&A ยท 1:41:58-1:45:01

Would dedicated carriers disappear from a space fleet?

Aviation may spread across many ships while dedicated assault carriers and a larger population of general-purpose cruisers keep distinct roles.

Question

Would space navies make dedicated carriers obsolete by spreading aviation across other ship types?

Short answer

No. Aviation would be widely distributed, but dedicated carrier-assault ships would remain useful while most of the fleet would consist of general-purpose cruiser-like warships.

Notes

Carrier capabilities would spread across several space-warship types, though dedicated carriers would remain useful. A Venator-like ship could combine a very large fighter group with Marines and landing forces, making it valuable for invasions and other ground-support missions. Its internal volume would also make it a plausible fleet flagship, though only a few such capital ships might accompany a force. Most fighting ships would instead resemble cruisers: general-purpose assets able to conduct a broad range of missions without carrying the carrier's full assault establishment.