[GonzoGOP]

VTOL may make large scale aircraft carrier obsolete

Not exactly. Go take a look at the range/payload of the F-35B (STOVL) vs the F-35C (Carrier). The price of that big honking lift fan for vertical landing is that you have to give up a quarter of your fuel load and 5 tons of ordinance. The F-35B isn't going to be doing any long range strike missions with only a 450 nmi combat radius. Great for a defensive fighter, but most of the work carriers have done since 1945 has been long range strike.

In addition there is the old maxim that quantity has a quality all its own. A Nimitz class has an air wing of 85-90 aircraft. A Wasp class in sea control mode carries a complement of only 20. So you need to buy four Wasp's to get as many planes into combat as one Nimitz.

Finally you mention escorts. Well Wasp, at 45,000 tos is a capital ship. She isn't going anyplace without escorts. So you don't get savings there.

The advantage of STOVL is that it lets you use the Wasp class flexibly depending on the needs. They can be a light carrier, or a marine assault transport. They can provide the defensive fighter cover for a marine task force hence freeing up the big decks for the strike mission. They complement rather than replace the big deck carriers.

[A.A. Cunningham]

A CVW TOE is not composed entirely of strike/fighter aircraft.

[Jeff Head]

Amen and spot on IMHO. See my post 23

[fremont_steve]

I want to echo your response and add just a little. The F35B is going to the Marines ONLY. It’s purpose in life is to go where the ground troops go and provide them with air cover. So they can be deployed off the ship for beach assault or forward deployed as an invasion force moves away from the beach. The other variants can’t do that (obviously). This plane has exactly the same mission as the Harrier did.

It can OBVIOUSLY be used as fleet defense of a Wasp based task force, but the real use is to protect Marines on the ground.

[PapaBear3625]

British Harrier landing on converted cargo ship Atlantic Conveyor during the Falklands War.