A bomber force? Where the **** have we been hiding that???
We have Tactical FJ aviation; a few Storm Shadows a bomber force doesn't make!!
We have a pitifully small maritime force (and about to get much smaller with MRA4) we have, comparitively, small AT & SH forces that are being flogged to pieces with empty promises of "jam tomorrow". To make matters worse, we've retired the PR9 without a conceivable replacement and look like we're going to accept Rivet Joints in lieu of R1s.
On the positive side? Sentinel, some UAVs (really only panic bought because the RAF was sh1t scared of the Army & Navy cornering the UAV market), some other tactical recce assets and 6 second hand helos. Note, NO replacements for the combat losses suffered by the AT, SH and, arguably, maritime fleets. In short, yes we do have a tick list of capabilites. However, many of them are wafer thin and unviable for any protracted campaign that is likely to see platform attrition.
CVF? An absolute cornerstone of defence policy. These will be more than just big ships. Power projection is not just about doing underhand deals for HNS, it can also be about a visible, or non-visible, threat from International Waters / Skies. We've abandoned a bomber force with strategic reach. CVF provides the ability to use Tac FJ Avn in a strat /sub-strat role. Equally, these ships could be massively potent with a TAG comprising FW/RW assets and a RM Cdo (a la USMC, but on a much bigger platform). Since the Govt is too scared to hold a full Review prior to the next election, backing carriers as a true "purple" enabler is a very good way of backing lots of horses simultaneously.
One deck is a liability, particularly for the continuation of Ops; however with V/STOL does come the option to lilypad to other vessels in extremis (ie flight deck accident),in addition, the design philosophy of the ship and the nature of the Air Wing would enable CVF to keep going under circumstances that would stop Ops on a "Cat & trap" deck. Bluntly, we cannot afford three hulls, and with Typhoon hogging the FJ budget, we cannot afford enough F35s to deploy two CAGs concurrently.
And as for carrier vulnerability? How hard is it to precision target an airfield thanks to Google earth?