Invincible's split role leaves too few Sea Harriers for fleet defence

Duffy first asks where land-based air power should give way to seaborne air power and whether the Invincible class had a clearly defined role. Specialist criticism focused on ships expected to provide both anti-submarine warfare and area air defence while also protecting themselves. With only five Sea Harriers embarked, maintenance and standby requirements might leave two fighters immediately available against a saturation attack. Increasing the fighter component would in turn reduce the helicopter space available for the class's primary ASW mission. A nominally multi-role carrier can lose effectiveness in both roles when its air group and deck capacity are too small for the combined demand.