WE,
However you did say "...........we will have it again in the not too distant future.". Yes, but when exactly?
I don't know and it's absolutely irrelevant to the points made. I say again, the decision to gap an organic AD capability is not ideal, finding yet another "delay in JCA" article in the Times et al is just as irritating to me as it is to you.
How long it takes to get a replacement, if indeed a replacement for Sea Harrier capability is indeed another manned aircraft, adds nothing to the discussion.
On a different note - what analysis (mathematical modelling perhaps?) has been done to asess the effectiveness of different combinations of weapon systems in an anti air scenario with different types of attack?
Lots I'm sure but nothing that I could quote. The figures for maintaining any kind of full coverage aircraft based AD cover speak for themselves though.
As for Krypton? Having flown against sub-sonic ASMs with Blue Vixen, knowing exactly when they were going to be fired and from where and along which bearing, I'll bet on the ship SAM over any radar equipped aircraft to defend against an ASM; let alone a supersonic one.