Two Malta-class carriers would transform the Falklands air war

How would the Falklands campaign change if Britain retained two Malta-class carriers as well as Hermes?

The Malta carriers could provide Phantom air defense, Buccaneer strikes, and airborne early warning while Hermes supported the landing as a commando carrier.

In this counterfactual, HMS Hermes acts as a commando carrier while two Malta-class ships remain northeast of the Falklands as the main air group. Their decks could support Phantoms, Buccaneers, anti-submarine helicopters, and Hawkeye airborne-early-warning aircraft. With roughly forty-eight Phantoms across the two carriers, the force could maintain a large continuous combat air patrol and keep additional fighters ready on deck. Buccaneers could attack Argentine positions repeatedly, reducing or eliminating the need for the historical Black Buck mission against the island airfield. The amphibious helicopter role near San Carlos remains separate from fleet air defense farther offshore. Large-deck carrier capacity would change the campaign's operational geometry and intensity.