Q&A · 2:46:48-2:47:16

What would replace Phantom and Buccaneer aboard CVA-01?

A surviving CVA-01 would most plausibly move from Phantom and Buccaneer to Super Hornet and Growler, unless Britain and France funded a new joint carrier aircraft.

Question

If CVA-01 had been built, what aircraft would succeed its Phantoms and Buccaneers?

Short answer

Probably Super Hornets and Growlers, unless an Anglo-French naval aircraft was developed instead.

Notes

The answer favors an aircraft already designed for catapult carrier operations. Super Hornet would provide the strike and fighter replacement, while Growler would add the electronic-warfare capability associated with the same family. An Anglo-French design is acknowledged as another possibility, but it would require a separate cooperative program. The watch point therefore links the carrier's continued service to the availability of a mature naval aircraft ecosystem.