The 85-percent comparison expresses a judgment about accepting affordable compromises while retaining a useful force. A carrier group still needs sufficient aircraft, escorts, support ships, and trained people to work together. The approximate half-cost comparison depends heavily on infrastructure: a navy that already builds and sustains the more demanding design can keep using that established system. A navy starting without it faces the additional cost of creating and supporting that infrastructure. Cutting the surrounding force too far can undermine the value of the carrier already purchased.
Chapter · 1:22:52-1:24:35
The 85-percent value test
The value of a carrier design depends on affordable compromises, existing infrastructure, and enough supporting capability to make the whole force useful.