Combined British-American carrier operations show why launch systems do not fit a simple ranking. The ski-jump carrier can stream light air-defence fighters rapidly because it does not pause to reset a catapult, while the CATOBAR carrier can launch heavier aircraft and organize larger strike packages. Assigning alert fighters to the British ship can therefore free the American carrier to exploit its greater strike capacity.
Notable Point · 1:36:00-1:40:30
STOVL carriers can specialize in rapid air-defence launches
A Queen Elizabeth-class carrier can launch ready fighters without resetting catapults, complementing a US carrier that concentrates on heavier long-range strike packages.