Pba,
If MoD is considering deleting Bulwark/Albion after selling Ocean, then it makes more sense to delete the far more expensive Merlin Mk4 fleet. Moving away from LPH / LPD, MoD is effectively saying "if we need to do LitM we'll use QE/PoW". Post marinisation, Merlin will struggle to match Puma 2 performance in many areas, costs more than a Chinook to buy/run, and if Royal is downsized and the 'phibs scrapped, where is the demand? Plonk 6 Chinooks on QE and you have far more lift than 12-15 Merlins. Before everyone throws a hissy-fit, as someone who's done live LitM and the RM AOPC, I know that there's more to LitM than just landing on a boat - it's just that many don't, and will only see the $$$ saved. By signalling a willingness to scrap the ships, the other enablers should follow. Outside LitM, Puma offers far more flexibility at a greatly reduced cost than Merlin, and therefore, is a better all-round asset.