Orca
You've let the cat out of the bag with the RVL! We were in on the original idea and I could not think of a more hazardous way to get an aircraft aboard and gave it a royal slagging. Astonished to hear it's still being considered!
Just imagine, on final, coming over the round-down at 40+kts relative, 2 deg alpha or so, engine spooling down and then relying on your brakes to stop 15 tonnes of aircraft in ~120m (give or take) of potentially worn camrex with no possibility of a bolter.........
Can anybody seriously think this is a good idea? I'd rather go to bed with Ann Widdecombe (or listen to more anglophone f*ckwittery....)
As for WEBF's question re organic AAR - both USN and ourselves appear to be signing up to the idiocy of using an already payload limited fast jet (be it 18E or Dave B or C) to carry buddy tanks. Interestingly enough, a lot of the Viking airframes being retired to AMARC have upwards of 10000 hours life on them. The Chileans smell a bargain and are trying to get around 10 or so to operate from land. If we bought a proper carrier, it wouldn't take a genius to try the same - particularly if you know what the ISAR pod on the Viking is capable of.....