Sea Eagle gives eight carriers a Soviet-raider mission

The decisive counterfactual is an American request that Britain, Canada, and Australia retain responsibility for Soviet surface ships that break past the forward carrier battle. Sea Eagle gives Sea Harriers a credible anti-ship weapon with more than 110 kilometres of range and a large warhead. The concept does not rely on one missile destroying a Kirov; aircraft- and ship-launched weapons would combine to overload its defences. Britain had earlier used Buccaneers and submarines against the Sverdlov-raider problem, so the proposed mission has a Cold War precedent. Four British carriers make one continuously available, two Canadian ships join that Atlantic rotation, and two Australian ships cover the Indian Ocean or South Pacific contribution. The eight-ship total therefore emerges from alliance tasks and readiness rather than from a desired production number.