How would CVA-01's air group evolve from the 1960s through the 1990s using historical aircraft?
Short answerBuccaneers and Phantoms could serve into the 1990s, then be replaced together by Super Hornets, with an AEW aircraft added if feasible.
NotesBuccaneer and Phantom could form the initial strike and fighter pairing when CVA-01 entered service. Their long real-world careers bridge most of the gap to the Super Hornet's first flight in 1995 and service entry near the end of the decade. CVA-01 would be too small for the F-14, while a British-only successor or French aircraft would be politically and financially harder to sustain. A later British stake in the Super Hornet therefore offers a plausible common replacement for both aging types.