The number of aircraft/effort over target to close an airfield like MPA, and keep it closed, far exceeds that available from a carrier like Ark Royal, and assumes either air superiority and/or stand-off weapons to prevent a catastrophic loss rate. The handful of TLAMS available would not suffice.
ASaC is rotary with a very limited ceiling/radar horizon and speed. Even assuming that any ship was risked to carry one within radar range of the island, as soon as it went active it would be a sitting duck unable to run.
Last edited by ORAC; 10th Nov 2010 at 14:16.