WesWorld

Many off You have carriers. What is Your ideal air wing.
Im not asking number but plane types.
For me my dream carrier air group will be.

Prop driven

Figther: La-7
Dive bomber: D4Y3 Suisei (Judy)
Torpedo Bomber B5N2 (Kate)

As for jets

Fighter:Mirage F-1
Bomber:Intruder

Yes I know La-7 and Mirage newer operated from carriers but I just like how those planes look, any way the other 3 were also decided by looks alone(not that there performence or record were bad either)

A single airgroup comprised of Reggiane 2001s or later 2005s which have good fighter performance and are able to fill the torpedo strike and dive bombing roles as well. They're also small with folding wings so you can fit a lot of them in.

For a later airgroup its got to be a mix of Saunders-Roe SR.177s and Blacburn Buccaneers. The Bucc is probably the best subsonic strike plane ever.

My choices

Propeller :

Fighter : F4U-4C or -5N.
Divebomber : SBD-5 Dauntless
Torpedo : A-1D Skyraider (brute, and more ground attack, but fits)

Runner up : F7F-4N Tigercat, love the look.


Jet :

Fighter : F-14D Tomcat
Bomber : A-4F Skyhawk

Runner up : De Havilland Sea Venom, F-8E Crusader & A-6E Intruder

P-51Ns and improved SBDs. The Mustang was carrier capable, and the Dauntless Slow But Deadly... Torpedo Bombers? They are all ugly or obsolete.

Jets, Fighter F-14D+, Attack A-14D+. For the light carriers a mix of A-4s and F5Ds.

From an aesthetic point of view, I quite like the Admiral Kuznetsov load-out of Flankers, Fulcrums, Frogfoots (Frogfeet?), and those nifty Kamov helicopters with the co-axial rotors.

Prop planes: Firebrands and Sea Hornets, a few Avengers for ASW, and a couple of Fi-156 Storchs.

with planes that saw combat in WW-2 :

Fighter: F4U-4
Dive-bomber: Ju87C
Torpedo-bomber: B6N Jill or TBM Avenger...don't really know which of both to select.


Today:

There's little to choose between...american carrier stuff is so better than anything else for their different roles:

Fighter: F-14D Tomcat
Attack: F-18E Super Hornet
AEW: EA-6 Prowler
EW: E-2 Hawkeye
ASW: S-3 Viking

the Kamov co-axial rotor helicopters are interesting, though. And I know the Sukhoi family offers outstanding fighters, but the F-14D, had it not been retired, would still be the best fleet defender fighter in the world (because it was specifically designed for the role, because of Phoenix and because it's simply too cool ), and the F/A-18E is a much better attack platform than any of the navalized Sukhois.

not to mention that catapult launch is so much better than ski-jump ramps...

Quoted

Originally posted by The Rock Doctor
From an aesthetic point of view, I quite like the Admiral Kuznetsov load-out of Flankers, Fulcrums, Frogfoots (Frogfeet?), and those nifty Kamov helicopters with the co-axial rotors.

IIRC the navalized Fulcrum never entered service. In fact the Sukhoi is so much better than the MiG-29 that there's little to argue about that decision.

Same with the frogfoots. Were planned to be navalized but never were. All fighter/attack roles are united within the Sukhois.

Prop jobs:

Supermarine Seafire Mk 47 (just on looks alone)
Douglas A-1D Skyradier
Fairey Swordfish (for toughness)

Jets:

Grumman F-14D Tomcat (without the nasty TF-30s)
Hawker Sea Hawk (another based on looks)
Blackburn Buccaneer

Quoted

Originally posted by RAM
IIRC the navalized Fulcrum never entered service. In fact the Sukhoi is so much better than the MiG-29 that there's little to argue about that decision.

Mikoyan's building MiG-29Ks - or whatever they're calling them this week - for India's rebuilt Gorshkov.

My choices depend on the era, but picking the 1950s:

Fighter - Sea Hawk (second choice, F9F)
Attacker - Skyraider (Wyvern)
ASW - Alize (Tracker)
AEW - AD-4W (tries to say Gannet but can't without barfing)