Resuscitation here.
Ok late WWII the UK was planning their post war fleet which included the dominion contributions. One of the plans was to replace the traditional colonial cruiser presence with smaller number of infinitely more capable light fleet carriers employing general purpose air groups capable of limited power projection, air and surface defence and ASW. Sea Fury and Fireflys flying from the Colossus and Majestic CVLs were a start and the later Sea hawk, Sea Venom and Gannet were a suitable follow on with the Short Seamew also available.
To my knowledge the carriers were never employed in this fashion, however if they were and were evolved and then standardised in NATO as aircraft cruisers CLV, CAV, CBV we could have seen a continuous development of US, UK and other European aircraft cruisers through until the development of the SCS, Invincible, Garibaldi, PA75 etc.
The first ships would have been converted Independence, Saipan, Colossus and Majestic class carriers. They would have incorporated improved radars, perhaps sonar and command and control facilities. Their air defence capabilities would have been updated as much as possible perhaps to include Tartar or similar.
The 1950s would have seen new ships (still around the same size) being built, designed with an area air defence missile system and facilities to operate light fighter attack aircraft in addition to ASW aircraft.
The 1960s there would have been 3D radars, stand off ASW weapons and ASW helos in place of the fixed wing ASW but maybe with the addition of a small number of fixed wing AEW aircraft to support the embarked fighters.
Now in the fifties the fighters are easy, Sea hawks, Sea Venoms, Panthers, Banshees and may be even Furys with Skyhawks a no brainer to follow, but what to use for the 60s where Mig 21 were being flogged to all and sundry? How about evolved Gnats and F-5s? Folland proposed a variety of evolved Gnats including twin engines with after burners and variable geometry wings and the Northrop Fang Fighter, which led to the F-5, started out a a naval fighter.
Thoughts.