Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 1:24:25-1:25:16

If Australia had bought HMS Invincible

An Australian Invincible and Sea Harrier force might have survived long enough to make a later Queen Elizabeth-class or F-35-capable Canberra replacement plausible, but several reviews could still have ended it.

Alternate HistoryFalklands WarInvincible Class Aircraft CarriersNaval AviationRoyal Australian NavySea Harrier
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Question

If Britain had sold Invincible to Australia in 1983, what carrier replacement path might the Royal Australian Navy have followed?

Short answer

If the force survived later reviews, Australia might eventually have chosen a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier or an F-35-capable Canberra design, but the outcome is highly contingent.

Notes

The sale would probably have included Sea Harriers and prompted Britain to complete a fourth Invincible-class ship. A continuing Falklands conflict would strengthen the operational case for the type and its aircraft. The decisive uncertainty is whether an Australian carrier arm could survive twenty or thirty years of budget reviews. Only then would a larger Queen Elizabeth-class successor or a Canberra-class design retaining F-35 capability become a realistic path.