As I understand it, the Royal Air Force has a fast-jet hold of 7+ years currently, which is likely to increase given there are ~400 student pilots in various stages of holding, across all three Services. I have been informed they have recently cut back their Direct Entry Pilot intake because they have so many students already in the system.
By contrast, and again as I understand, the Royal Navy has a fast-jet hold of approximately 4-5 years and the pilot training within the Royal Navy is prioritised. I am also aware that there is an agreement between the USN and RN for some RN student pilots to be selected for F/A-18E/F post-BFJT, which gets RN students to the frontline faster and gives them valuable experience to bring back to the RN. I also know that a select few experienced RN Hornet exchange pilots are selected for TOPGUN.
Could somebody with first hand knowledge please confirm the above that relates to UKMFTS to be true, please?
If it's true, how/why are RN Pilots prioritised?