CVA-01 could launch Tomcats but should not build around them

Could the Fleet Air Arm have operated F-14 Tomcats from CVA-01?

The carrier might manage them in theory, but sustained Tomcat operations would be an ill fit; a lighter Hornet-type successor is more plausible.

The panel distinguishes a technical launch-and-recovery possibility from a sensible fleet aircraft choice. CVA-01 was designed around British Phantoms, Buccaneers, and projected successors, not an aircraft as heavy as the Tomcat. Repeated Tomcat operations would impose avoidable stresses and operating penalties even if occasional use were possible. A Hornet-family replacement fits the carrier and the likely British procurement path more naturally.