What air group might CVA-01 carriers have used in the 1980s?
Short answerHe expects Buccaneers and Phantoms with E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning initially, followed by F/A-18 Hornets rather than a costly naval Tornado conversion.
NotesBuccaneers and Phantoms remain central to this CVA-01 carrier air group into the early 1980s. Airborne early warning is the crucial addition, with E-2 Hawkeyes as a plausible replacement for Gannets. Once the Buccaneers and Phantoms aged out, F/A-18 Hornets appear more plausible than a naval Tornado because adapting the land-based European aircraft would require Britain to fund extensive structural and carrier-integration work alone. A later catapult-equipped successor could then move to F-35Cs. The aircraft choices connect strike power with airborne surveillance, alliance procurement, and the cost of designing an airframe for repeated carrier landings.