Helpful Stacker - You seem like top quality 4* material to me. Apart from the fact that the Warsaw Pact folded around 1990 and has subsequently lost interest in its Red Banner submarine fleet since then, one can only wonder why this expensive red herring is still being pursued? Apart from a few unfortunate Sperm Whales, who exactly are you going to blow up? Why aren't our US chums upgrading the somewhat aged P-3 Orions? Is it because there is a lack of credible threat? For a project that was started by our erstwhile Defence Secretary of the day, Mr Miguel Portaloo (who now, obviously, enjoys a non executive seat on the board of BAE) with an in service date of 2003 (err make that 2009 if your lucky) and an estimated cost of 3.5 billion from a projected cost of 2 billion - All for 12 aeroplanes circa 1955.
I am not even going to ask why the RAF feel the need for an anti-submarine capability
