Stepping carefully into this thread:
Military campaigns, especially the more recent US led ones, have been characterized by a (very understandable) desire for overwhelming force to reduce casualties. That seems to translate to throwing all available assets at the problem. Looking at Al-Faw and other engagements, perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised that 10 ships were sent, NGS was used, and a mix of RAF, FAA and AAC assets were used. Perhaps we ought to be mighty proud that the UK has the skill and professional aviators, soldiers and sailors to execute an true 'all-arms' assault like this one.
This thread, like many others, has at times dropped into the 'black/white' type of argument where opposing views are presented as sole choices - 'RAF or FAA' is a prime example. That's unfortunate, in my view. I've spent my professional life working with all three Services and it's my view that we have, through accident or design, developed a military skill set that is nearly unmatched anywhere else. We have an outstandingly professional Air Force, a capable and flexible FAA and an extremely effective AAC - and you could swap those adjectives around in any combination. Are they big enough? No. Are they starved of funds? Yes. Are they all good? Hell, yes.
And that's the crux of this thread. One Service (the RAF) has, via CAS, decided to openly attack ownership of air capability by the RN and the Army. This is being denied by the MoD, but it's happened, and happened at the highest levels. It's a crying shame, because a) he is going to lose, b) he is damaging the reputation of his service in the process and c) our lords and masters probably have better things to do than chew over these old bones. 'One nation, one air force' is possibly one of the most inane sound bites masquerading as a policy that I've ever heard.
Engines solution? Not sure I have one,, but a good start would be to look at using all three Services' skill and equipment sets to try to build a UK equivalent of a US Marine Corps (MEU) type capability, with a fully engaged air component, and exploiting CVF to the full. Flexible, deployable, and with plenty of punch. It would be a real shame if inter-service rivalries got in the way, but I fear that they already have.
Best Regards to all as ever,
Engines