The late 1970s Royal Navy had aircraft but was losing conventional carriers. The modern fleet reverses that problem with two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers and too few F-35Bs. Responsibility is assigned across several governments that delayed aircraft orders, so the shortfall is a procurement choice rather than a permanent technical limit. Decisions to slow carrier construction also generated delay costs equivalent to paying for substantially more than the two hulls ultimately delivered. Stretching procurement to reduce annual expenditure can therefore increase total cost while postponing the intended capability.
Notable Point · 2:47:22-2:48:34
Buying carriers without enough aircraft
The modern fleet reverses the post-1966 problem: Britain has large carriers again, but too few aircraft to fill the air groups.