Originally Posted by
Asturias56
But even if that happens (and I really cant see why the finances are going to be better in 4 years time) i'll be several years before they turn up - The UK will only have 48 (or 16 active as per Evalu8ter's post). I can see the USMC being a permanent addition to the QE
It's potentially a question of time rather than finances. If it's decided to make a go of Tempest as land-based-only and keep F35B until carrier OSD, then we might find that operating assumptions change such that a handful of additional F35Bs would be taken in the 2030s before a fatigue replacement of the original 48 at the very end of the production run (ideally 2040s or even 50s if the line keeps going). Better to work the original 48 hard and take delivery of new-build late model aircraft than to be liable for upgrade and support costs of a large but lightly used fleet. That would mean no deliveries at this, or perhaps even the next review.