Engines,
The RAF never committed to more than 'detachments' of aircraft to the ship. Carefully prepped beforehand (in some cases for two weeks), with tailored support to meet the forecast task, rotating aircraft back to UK MOBs when any major servicing came up. Normal length of detachment measured in weeks. Not equipped for operations at all times. The RN squadrons embarked as complete squadrons, taking all their support and kit to handle all required tasks. All support was carried out on board. Normal length of embarkation measured in months.
It think it was summer '10 when 1 Sqn was on for 2 months? Refer you to a previous comment that the reason it was 'only' 6 jets for a few weeks at a time was probably because of other commitment (not just Herrick but also regeneration). Cougar this year was meant to feature embarked support for the same period, although a mix of FAA and RAF as far as I understood.