Build a carrier that only carries drones. then it will be light weight..
Reinventing the jeep carrier.
65,000 tons is probably going to be OK. That was the weight of the Midway class aircraft carriers after they received the alt for the addition of the angled flight deck.
My problem about light carriers was always the limitation of sea state for launching and recovering aircraft. Recovering for me was always the greatest problem, because the sea state could be acceptable at launch and go all to hell 4-6 hours later when the aircraft had to be recovered.
The term light had definitely gone through a redefinition since WW II.
Project Habakkuk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Habakkuk
I would like to see carrier protection addressed. Currently a carrier needs a fleet of submarines, cruisers and destroyers around it for defense. If the new carriers require the same defense then you aren’t saving a whole lot.
Perhaps a specialized fleet of small, automated and lightly manned specialized carrier defense craft would complete the concept. A few small, lightly manned nuclear powered submarines could also be added to protect against sub attacks. These are specialty boats and won’t require the same complement and armament as their bigger brothers.
Instead of a new carrier, I think we need better aircraft to put on the carrier. A true fighter and medium attack aircraft.
The navy is going to start flying Cessnas?
Light is certainly a lot bigger than imagined.
Don’t understand the two islands on the QE class. The brits do strange things and over engineer. It looks like two carriers working in close formation.