Distance constrained Argentine aircraft more than British sea basing

The Falklands offered few practical facilities for sustained operation of Argentina’s modern combat aircraft, forcing most sorties to begin on the mainland. That distance reduced time over the target and constrained how Argentine air power could be applied. Britain faced a much longer route from home, but ships taken up from trade and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary created a mobile support system around the task force. The comparison shows that distance is not a single measure: its effect depends on whether a force can move fuel, stores, maintenance, and replacements with its combat units.