There was no perceived manned air threat to the UK from about 1958 to 1979 ish, as the Soviet threat was IRBM/ICBM for which NO aircraft was a counter, then the Backfire/Fencer panic kicked in which led to an increase in UK AD assets, of which the 88 Hawk T1A's in a local point defence and MFF role were a small part. For most of the life of the Lighting it was a small UK force of 5 squadrons with an ID and shepherd away commitment.
Really? I must have been serving in a different AD system then.
Mine had 2 x F4 Sqns at Wattisham; 2 x F4 squadrons plus a double strength OCU at Coningsby; 2 x F6 Ltg squadrons plus the LTF at Binbrook plus 2 x F4 squadrons at Leuchars. All facing a threat of manned Bear B bombers carrying A-S2 Kangaroo nuclear ASM, plus Backfires and Blinders with a mixture of AS-4 Kitchen and AS-6 Kingfish nuclear ASM.
The first RAF F-4 AD squadron, 43Sqn, formed in 1969.
That, of course, was ignoring their SACLANT role to protect the fleet against the same plus Bear-D surveillance and Bear-F ASW assets. The scores of live QRA intercepts against such in my log books must be fake news.