Even if Phillips retained the earlier misunderstanding about air support, Indomitable could not conduct fighter operations in complete radio silence. Launch, recovery, and fighter-control traffic would reveal that the fleet was fighting an air attack. The Australian fighter unit assigned to fleet defense monitored related traffic and might launch on hearing the battle develop. It would probably arrive after the carrier fighters had broken up the immediate strike, but the communication failure would no longer remain absolute.
Notable Point · 1:29:26-1:31:41
Could Indomitable also bring the Australian fighters into battle?
Carrier fighter-control traffic could reveal that Force Z was under attack and prompt the land-based Buffalo squadron to respond.