Bonaventure's decommissioning in 1970 places Canadian carrier replacement decisions close to the development of Invincible. Moving from a light fleet carrier to a light carrier was feasible if a country chose to retain naval aviation. In this assessment, Australian interest in the historical Invincible design was lukewarm because its aviation capability appeared insufficient. Invincible's NATO roles centred on anti-submarine support and covering reinforcement of Norway, with limited independent action against major Soviet forces. Australia and Canada needed a more versatile task-group centrepiece with more aircraft and helicopters to justify the investment.
Notable Point · 19:01-22:01
Why Australia and Canada needed more aviation capacity
An Invincible replacement had to justify itself against the task-group roles Australia and Canada expected their carriers to perform.