VSTOL Lowers Carrier Formation Speed

If fleets widely adopt very short takeoff and landing (VSTOL) aircraft, carriers could be designed and operated with much lower propulsive power, allowing formations to cruise slower (and with less acoustic signature) for the same mission capability. That tradeoff alters vulnerability to submarines and missile attack, and shifts the cost calculus of ship speed versus survivability. — This changes a core procurement and doctrine choice — whether navies buy faster, noisier ships or accept slower, stealthier formations — with implications for budgets, alliance interoperability and escalation risk.