Archimedes,
Many of them moan about the loss of the SHAR on the one hand, and then inform the world that no-one does air-air combat any more, and if they did, then we could rely on the Americans anyway.
Well either there is an air threat or there isn't. If there is then we need to maintain our land and naval air defence and perhaps the projected Typhoon order is justifiable. The problem is that govt has said that there is no air threat and we can get rid of the Shar and reduce other assets. You can't utter that statement and in the same breath justify the procurement of 232 largely air defence a/c.
I hope, if push comes to shove, the Americans don't send us what they sent us in 1939 - their best wishes