The cost of missing carrier airborne early warning

British plans assumed Norwegian, British, or American aircraft would supply early warning during the expected NATO mission. Shipboard sensors, even an Aegis-type system, cannot see around the curvature of the Earth, so elevated radar was not an interchangeable luxury. The task force also lacked cooperative engagement capability and depended heavily on special-forces patrols for reconnaissance. The Falklands deployment therefore exposed several information gaps created by specializing for an allied campaign rather than an independent expedition. Helicopter AEW appeared quickly after the war, but too late to give the task force the warning time that might have reduced ship losses and protected Atlantic Conveyor.