A land-based strike aircraft's ability to reach a position does not establish how long it can protect a fleet there. Transit time, the return flight and the need to replenish expended weapons all affect continuous combat air patrols. Those requirements can demand many more aircraft than a simple range circle suggests. One interpretation is that the RAF sought funding for its own programme and secured a much wider victory than it expected when carriers were cancelled. In that reading, ministers accepted the coverage claim without testing persistence or response time because it supplied the desired reason to reduce spending.
Notable Point · 2:14-4:26
Aircraft range versus persistent fleet air cover
A range map leaves unanswered how quickly land-based aircraft can reach a fleet and how many are needed to keep fighters overhead.