A carrier's aircraft capacity can fall as successive generations of aircraft grow, even though the ship itself remains the same size. The Sea Harrier was highly effective in the Falklands War, but that record does not settle what modern naval aviation requires. In the May 2024 comparison, the Falklands War was 42 years earlier, a longer interval than the 37 years between the end of the Second World War and the Falklands conflict. The F-35 suits a later generation of air combat and naval air defence, just as the Sea Harrier with Sidewinder missiles suited its own period. Carrier design therefore has to allow for changes in aircraft size and capability over a long service life.
Notable Point · 35:47-37:33
Sea Harrier and F-35 comparisons need historical context
The Sea Harrier's success in the Falklands belongs to its technological setting, while larger modern aircraft also change how many aircraft an older carrier design can accommodate.