What might have replaced Phantom and Buccaneer aboard Malta

Would a surviving Malta-class fleet have operated Tomcats or another replacement for Phantom and Buccaneer?

He considers Tomcat unlikely and suggests Britain might have waited for a Hornet-family aircraft able to replace both Phantom and Buccaneer.

Britain might have retained Phantom and Buccaneer until a common replacement became available. Within this counterfactual, a later Hornet-family aircraft is more plausible than Tomcat because it could replace both fighter and strike types.