WHAT IF?
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Plate 1. HMS Ark Royal R09, circa 1976
The UK's last carrier with steam catapults was paid off in 1978. She is shown with Phantom FG.1 and Buccaneer S Mk.2 aircraft. Had she been available, the fleet would have had AEW, radar-equipped fighters with radar guided missiles, plus strike aircraft capable of carrying large bomb loads over long distances.
Plate 2. Gannet AEW.3
The British didn't have airborne early warning (AEW) during the war, causing considerable problems. Had they still operated a large fleet carrier with steam catapults (i.e. HMS Ark Royal), they could have operated the Gannet AEW.3 with its AN/APS-20 S Band radar.
Photographed by MR Ibbotson, Yorkshire Air Museum, 2026.
Plate 3. Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B XV168 (Yorkshire Air Museum)
Had the British retained HMS Ark Royal, they would have been able to operate the powerful Buccaneer strike jet, capable of long-range shipping and land attacks. This beautifully preserved example is shown in RAF colours.
Photographed by MR Ibbotson, Yorkshire Air Museum, 2026.
Plate 4. Royal Navy McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 (892 Naval Air Squadron), launching from HMS Ark Royal.
Had the British retained Ark Royal, they would have used Phantom FG.1 fighters for interception and air defence duties. They each carried four radar guided Sparrow missiles and four AIM-9 Sidewinders. This would have offered a massive increase in firepower compared to the two AIM-9s carried by each Sea Harrier. Public Domain.
Plate 5. Shackleton AEW
One plan for the retaking of the Falklands was to build a runway on the islands close to the landing point (either 2 or 3 in Map 1). If this had occurred, it might have been possible to operate Shackleton AEWs from grass strips. However, getting them to the islands and servicing them would have been challenging.
Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation (GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html> or GFDL 1.2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html>), via Wikimedia Commons