The missing modern light fleet carrier

The wartime light fleet carrier paired useful aviation capacity with an economical hull that could be built in quantity. The Queen Elizabeth class is a full fleet-carrier solution and does not fill the same role for a medium power. One proposed British force would combine the two large carriers with three landing helicopter docks, all sharing aircraft and tailoring their air groups for strike or amphibious missions. The broader procurement gap remains: no affordable, off-the-shelf successor serves states that need organic naval aviation without a full fleet carrier. The closing questions ask what a modern light carrier should look like, which states would buy one, and which missions would justify it.