Which Came First, The Aircraft or the Aircraft Carrier? Challenges in Designing Aircraft Carriers for the Future

The US Navys Next Generation Aircraft Carrier Program CVNX is currently in the early elements of design and the first of the class is scheduled for delivery in 2013. Each ship of the design is expected to have a service life of over 50 years. Current requirements definition processes for the aviation functions tie ships performance parameters to past, current and near future airframes yet the class will fly multiple generations of aircraft during its expected life span. Are there requirements definitions strategies that will enable less costly upgrade paths for the class than those currently implemented We examine, from a historical perspective, the traditional upgrade process that aircraft carriers have taken and propose alternative methods based on a different perspective applied while defining requirements.