To supercarrier or not to supercarrier

[spitfire97]

Carriers with more than 100 aircraft capacity have "reduced aircraft operations efficiency" but how much does that actually affect things in practice?

Do you build carriers with more than 100 air capacity or do you stick at 100? If so why and by how much?

Also how big does a "special squadron" need to be to get the benefits from it? Can you cheese it and have the special squadron with just 5 aircraft or does it not work like that?

[oldpop2000]

Feb 8, 2024 7:19:06 GMT -6 spitfire97 said:

Carriers with more than 100 aircraft capacity have "reduced aircraft operations efficiency" but how much does that actually affect things in practice?

Do you build carriers with more than 100 air capacity or do you stick at 100? If so why and by how much?

Also how big does a "special squadron" need to be to get the benefits from it? Can you cheese it and have the special squadron with just 5 aircraft or does it not work like that?

I base my carrier operations and production on historical evidence. The US Navy always had at least 100 aircraft in their airwings with eighteen planes per squadron. It beat the Japanese soundly. Large carriers and airwings have always produced better results and aided our nation geostrategy. Just my opinion. If you are playing a maritime nation like the US,  GB, Japan; it is my believe that it is imperative that you follow that strategy.

[cheatereater]

Feb 8, 2024 7:19:06 GMT -6 spitfire97 said:

Carriers with more than 100 aircraft capacity have "reduced aircraft operations efficiency" but how much does that actually affect things in practice?

Do you build carriers with more than 100 air capacity or do you stick at 100? If so why and by how much?

Also how big does a "special squadron" need to be to get the benefits from it? Can you cheese it and have the special squadron with just 5 aircraft or does it not work like that?

I try not to go over 100 aircraft, but I usually armor my flight decks too so reaching 100 is more difficult. ~100 is a good maximum anyway, you just don't need that many more and I assume the penalties can become punishing (never actually tested them though). It may be worthwhile to help combat losses though.

One note is that refitting for jet aircraft will significantly decrease your capacity, so my 96 ac carrier -> 58 jet ac. So building a big carrier may extend its longevity; it's also easy to increase/decrease aircraft as needed in refits.

For special squadrons, the number needed depends on the size of the carrier and if they are jet-capable or not. They are about ~16 aircraft for ~100 prop ac carrier, 12 for 72 prop ac, 8 for 52 jet ac, 9 for 58 jet ac, and 14 for 84 jet ac; about 1/6 of the aircraft. The game will automatically select the right size for your carrier/base, and tell you if it's too small if you change it.