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I guess what I am saying is that I like the idea of having more flight decks available than we have with just the CVNs.

You can bet your bottom Yuan that they already have several competing plans for the next series of ships and are arguing about them as we speak. And you can also bet money that the next series of ships will be built and launched a heck of a lot faster.

Agreed on all counts.

The major disadvantage of STOAL is that those attack aircraft just cannot carry much ordinance or fuel...they are very limited in the strike role. And the AEW aircraft on every STOAL carrier in the world are helos, also very limited when compared to an E-2C type bird.

Now, get an AEW V-22 out there (and we really, really should) and this helps the AEW picture immeasurably for the STOAL.

Until that is done, I believe one large deck super carrier would in fact take on and take out two or three of these STOAL carriers. It could keep its distance, out of range of the STOAL strike groups, and it would know where they were much better with the AEW assets they have.

I still think we should have more of them because in terms of escorting PHIBRONS and large convoys in a major conflict, and in terms of giving aircover to, and major suppoprt to, ASW operations they would be invaluable and allow the large decks to do the strike packages.

They would also be invaulable in being combo'ed with a large deck carrier, providing the local CAP and major ASW thereby freeing up more birds on the large deck for strike and strike escort.

I believe we should have 14-16 big decks and 12-14 Sea Control STOAL decks.

Trying to get into the head of the PLAN planners (heh) is tough, but let me try.

Can't take off with a full load of ordnance and fuel? OK, we configure one type of bird as a tanker, launch those first, then launch the strike birds with just enough gas to get into the air, hook them up with the tankers for a full bag, and off they go.

Obiously that is not as flexible as a USN CVBG, plus you don't have as many aircraft available, but it could be done.

Especially, I am thinking, if you configure the flight deck in a way that allows you to use the entire lenght of the ship AND the STOAL ramp.

Right now, unless I am mistaken, the USN is flying ONE combination strike/fighter bird off of all our carriers, the Hornet. No more A-6s, A-7s, or even S-3s. Yet, they obviously do the job. If we can figure that out, I am sure the ChiComs have figured a workaround.

I dunno. Given the political atmosphere in the Navy today, I think the brass would fight tooth and nail against anything except MORE full-sized CVNs, and would probably win the fight. Foolish in my book. If the ChiComs thought full deck CVNs were the way to go, they would be building them. They aren't -- and THAT worries me.