What if HMS Ark Royal would have....

[cowboy40]

...still been in service, at the time of the Falkland War, just how different the air combat would have been over the islands.

Ark Royal would have brought some great assists to front.

She would have brought around 12 McDonnell Douglas (F-4K) Phantom FG.1 to defend the fleet.

While, her 10 to 12 Blackburn Buccaneer S.2 would have increased the potential of air strikes and work as tankers that could have stayed on station longer then the Harriers were able to. They would have also been able to deliver a heavier payload.

The five Fairey Gannet AEW.3 would have been able to give a better early warning picture then the Sea King aew platform was able to, because of the higher altitudes the Gannet could have reached, providing a wider radar coverage.

Her five Westland Sea King HAS.1 helicopters would have brought more power to the anti-submarine force, as well as, provided SAR (search and rescue) and utility operations to the task force around the islands.

Ark Royal would have had two other utility aircraft. She carried a Westland Wessex HAS.3 for the ships flight and Fairey Gannet COD.4 tor personal and supply movements. The Gannet COD.4 was a conversion of the Gannet AS.4 for use as a carrier onboard delivery aircraft.

Those twenty-four fixed wing aircraft could have really shown what aircraft carriers can do. The strike capability would have been able to hit Argentina mainland very easily from the sea. The CATABAR (catapolt, arrester wire, barrier) system carriers offer much more offensive and defensive power then can be offered by S/VTOL (short/vertical take off and landing) type carriers offer. I believe HMS Ark Royal would have been a game changer in the type of air war we seen over the Falklands.

[starcruiser]

I believe the Argentinians chose when to try to take the Falklands based on the Royal Navy loosing pretty much all fixed wing aviation (not accounting for the untested Harriers).

The may have also felt that the UK was in no practical position to do much about it since the whole of their military had been spinning down rapidly for a while. The attitude in Britain was that the military was too expensive (constant problem with their government, off and on for centuries).

Look at how small the Royal Navy is now... Sure, they have two nice sized carriers, with a limited range of aircraft to use with them, otherwise...? A very few Frigates and Destroyers, very few support ships, very few subs.