A fighter operating from shore must leave the fleet when it needs more ammunition, even if tanker support can extend its fuel endurance. During repeated attacks, that journey can remove fighters just when the next wave arrives. Second World War operations in the Mediterranean provide the example: aircraft flying from Malta could assist convoys and damaged carriers only until they had to return to the airfield. The extra distance also increased pilot fatigue. Approaching the fleet from a distant base could put fighters in a less useful position to intercept an incoming strike.
Chapter · 1:54:16-1:56:04
Tankers cannot solve the rearming gap in land-based fleet cover
Fighters covering ships from shore still have to return for ammunition, creating gaps that aerial refuelling cannot remove.