"Surely most likely is GB dumping Typhoon T3 to free funds for JSF that are half the price, bring in zillions to brit companies and can ....wait for it... fly off scottish carriers."
Half the price? It's legally impossible for the UK to pay less for its F-35s than the US customer. Though we're required to sign up to Production Sustainment at the end of 2006, committing to aircraft numbers and line positions, and to agree to financial penalties if we subsequently withdraw, we're expected to do so blind, with no price being set (with no input from us) until 2011.
That's on a programme with such a mismatch between the completion of development tasks and production investment that the GAO, McCain's committee and others want it dramatically slowed down.
That's for an aircraft that can't carry UK day one weapons, and won't carry any of our key weapons until the end of the next decade.
And that's for an aircraft on which, if we don't get ITAR waivers, we won't be able to sustain, support, upgrade or integrate our own kit.
And it's an admittedly excellent LO bomb truck, with a great radar and avionics, but with a modest t/w ratio, no supercruise, and an unimpressive combat persistance.
[irony]I can see that's so much more necessary than Typhoon Tranche 3.....[/irony]