Originally Posted by
NutLoose
Don't start me off on that one, have believed from the start that energy, water, transport, communications and our digital infrastructure are just as important as our military and we should have none in foreign ownership.
I am also a strong believer in built in Britain, Phantom was about the start of the rot, buying in means UK Plc loses the ability to design and build in the UK, that then sets you on the slippery slope of being dependant on other country's for your military assets, as you lose your ability to come up with the goods, fine while friends but something that's never guaranteed.
Never ceases to amaze me why this point is not getting more attention . Why weren't more questions asked earlier on about the alternatives to Huawei , for example . Instead , the drive for cheaper ( and therefore more profitable ) alternatives has led to the demise of British industry , be it in aviation , shipping , car manufacturing , trains , you name it . It is all outsourced / foreign owned and UK is reduced to assembling products designed and manufactured abroad . Some point to the excellence of UK service industries (financial); true , but surely a desire for homegrown technological innovation is equally important . The brilliance of the Victorian inventors seems a distant memory .
A nuclear power station being built in the UK by China ? One wonders what questions were asked in the House when this decision was taken . Maybe there are different perspectives on what constitutes "Global Britain" , but it is a rather sad state of affairs when media personalities generate more interest than technological achievements amongst many of the younger generation upon whom lies the nation's future .
So back to the original topic , it is easy to see why the RAF ( and other military entities )are shadows of their former selves . Something is missing . Let's hope it's not too late to address some of these issues.