Reading all this makes me wish we hadn't let "our closest ally" get their hands on the Harrier!
Have just been in the US for a bit and would be the first to concede that on the whole, you still love us "Brits".
It is therefore a great pity that the US displays such protectionism towards it's "closest friend in the World".
The C17 was another example of a procurement "on US terms" - it seems we were taken to the cleaners on that aswell.