Q&A ยท 3:06:10-3:08:20

A later Falklands War centered on Ark Royal

Keeping Ark Royal while losing Hermes and Invincible delays the Falklands scenario into a different strategic and technological setting.

Question

How would the Falklands conflict unfold if Britain kept Ark Royal but not Hermes or Invincible?

Short answer

The war must occur around 1984-85, creating a harder and substantially different campaign, although Argentina's command and conscript-army problems may remain decisive.

Notes

Ark Royal did not commission until the mid-1980s, so an invasion timed around her availability occurs several years later than the historical war. Britain would face a harder expedition, but Argentine weaknesses in conscript forces and divided command could persist. The changed date also means that ships, aircraft, and political circumstances on both sides cannot simply be copied from 1982.