Melmothtw...''With no air or sea dominance (or even parity) they wouldn't be so stupid as to try and invade.''
from what i recall, they didn't have parity - or anything like it - last time, yet they still went for it.
i accept that there is a force on the islands where there wasn't last time, however the Argies still chose to go up against a power with long range strategic bombers, aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, the second biggest fleet in NATO, and a fearsomely trained and respected army - i somehow fail to see why anybody thinks that cold hard logic (the idea that 'they wouldn't be that stupid') is neccessarily part of the Argentine political decision making process when applied to the islands. i think people utterly fail to see the 'glistening eyes' effect in Argentina (particularly when the economy is in the shitter) whenever an on-the-ropes politician starts banging on about 'las Malvinas' and how suddenly, all else is forgiven...
four airframes, while very good airframes, is still only four airframes - they will at some stage run out of missiles/go U/S and need to land, and it wouldn't take a professor of air supremacy to devise a situation where the four aircraft were kept busy chasing wild geese and then forced to re-arm/re-fuel while a main force carried out an attack that effectively neutralised them.
i would contend that while the RAF would probably win any air battle, i fear it would be rather closer than we would like - and given that a 'reforger' type operation would take rather longer than what remains of the AAF flying home, refueling and picking up more missiles for a return match, four airframes isn't enough. Typhoons if possible, GR4's as a dedicated strike force if not...