1. Can Storm Shadow (or similar) armed Nimrods (or similar) compete with the sortie rates that CVF promises?
2. Without compromising their other roles?
3. Can this ever be as versitile as the ability to carry aircraft for air defence, ground/maritime attack, ASW/ASuW (or whatever they are now called), C2 and ISTAR, Junglies, Chinooks, Apaches - or a combination therof?
4. Do strategic aircraft not need overflight rights - which cannot be relied on 100% of the time?
5. Do they not need AAR support?
6. So the distance covered by a ship in 24 hours can be covered by an aircraft in one hour. Can the logistics, engineering and other facilities, and weapon and fuel stores be moved at the same rate?
7. Who/what is going to provide fighter sweeps/escorts for the Nimrod? Do land based fighters have the legs to escort them, without needing more tankers than we have? Perhaps the
Sea Harrier could have done it, if the Government hadn't axed it?
8. Didn't USN carrier based fighters act as escorts for B52s in Vietnam - during
Linebacker II etc?