Casper,
Your data link argument does not hold water. The Tornado (in the F3 guise) has an excellent link 16 capability and has for many years now. The GR4 is getting it soon-ish. The GR7/9 should get at least the IDM in the same timescales as the GR4.
It also seems to me that the GR7 is doing a good deployed ops job in Afghanistan.
Regards,
MB