The Falklands Air War In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falklands to assert their claim to sovereignty over the islands, which were controlled by the British. Britain immediately formed a response to the invasion with the formation of a naval Task Force, including 38 aircraft, two aircraft carriers, and 28 combat vessels. But why could Argentina not stop the British from retaking the Falklands? What kept the entire Argentine air force from being able to Newsweek cover, 19 April 1982 stop 38 British Sea Harriers, and 23 combat vessels? The answer is simple. The Argentines lacked major refueling capability, as well as a sufficient combat radius to reach the islands. “Combat radius” refers to the maximum distance a military aircraft can fly with full payload and fuel and carry out a strike mission. Looking at the combat radius of the A-4 Skyhawk, the aircraft are able to reach West Falkland, but they are unable to reach East Falkland, or the Task Force. As a result Argentina needed to sacrifice bombs for fuel efficiency. This kept Argentina from being able to strike a A-4 Skyhawk Combat Radius major blow to the British task force. Since they were also at the edge of their fuel capacity once they reached the IAI Dagger Combat Radius Legend 0 50 100 200 Miles p Falklands Airfields Falklands, they were unable to engage and shoot down the Task Force limited number of Harriers. The British, on the other hand, Works Cited Argentine Airbase had the luxury of being able to engage and shoot down Falklands Argentine aircraft. By the end of the war, Argentina had lost Federation of American Scientists. "Military Analysis Network." Chile over 80 aircraft, whereas the British had only lost 10. Federation of American Scientists. Accessed February 14, 2013. Argentina Falklands Settlements Hastings, Max, and Simon Jenkins. The Battle for the Falklands. New York City, NY: W W Norton, 1983. Middlebrook, Martin. Argentine Fight for the Falklands. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword Books, 2009. Newsweek. The Empire Strikes Back. Photograph. April 19, 1982. Digital file. Snow, Peter, and Dan Snow, narr. 20th Century Battlefields - Falklands War. British Broadcasting Company, 2010. Woodward, Sandy. One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander. New York City, NY: Naval Institute Press, 1997. Argentine A-4 Skyhawks over the South Pacific British Sea Harriers aboard HMS Invincible .