Originally Posted by
Not_a_boffin
They'd be better off figuring out how to supply 12-16 Merlin HM variants quickly and cost-effectively. Which might support export orders off the back of them. We need more Merlin - the case for Puma is less clear.
The case for a smaller simpler aircraft to replace Puma (and maybe the other ancient small twins dotted around the place) is fairly clear. This may or may not come to pass - but increasing the size of the Merlin fleet definitely won't!