Suez demonstrated an effective strike mission, although it largely repeated methods already practiced during the Second World War. The Royal Navy was simultaneously planning for combat air patrol, fleet air defence, long-range strike, reconnaissance, and the Soviet submarine threat. The Fairey Gannet emerged within that widening mission set as an anti-submarine aircraft. Early jet-age carrier doctrine had to solve a broader sensor and defence problem alongside the demand for faster strike aircraft.
Notable Point · 18:15-19:06
Carrier missions expanded beyond the Suez strike
Suez repeated wartime strike patterns, but the Soviet threat pushed carriers toward air defence, reconnaissance, long-range attack, and anti-submarine warfare.