A continuing requirement for a six-aircraft reconnaissance and warning flight would have imposed a visible cost on carrier design. An Illustrious-class carrier expected to embark that specialist unit might have needed space for roughly 42 aircraft rather than the actual 36-aircraft arrangement discussed here. Possible responses included deck-edge lifts, rearranged internal spaces, or a longer after hangar and hull. The counterfactual shows how preserving one operational capability could affect lift placement, hangar geometry, and ship dimensions.
Notable Point · 52:31-55:18
Specialist flights could have changed British carrier capacity
Keeping six specialist fleet spotters might have pushed the Illustrious class toward a 42-aircraft hangar and different lift or hull arrangements.