I would think anybody would accept that no matter what the criteria, we certainly don't
need the F-35, nice though it would be. Common sense would suggest that it would be far better to "navalise" a final batch of Typhoons (especially when BAe have repeatedly said that it can be done fairly inexpensively) and forget about another whizz-bang jet that, in practical terms, offers the RAF and FAA absolutely nothing of any practical value which can't be achieved with Typhoons. Okay, you can drift into
Air Forces Monthly-esque fantasy trips about what weapons can be carried or what g can be pulled, blah, blah, but let's be realistic here - unless the Typhoon is already considered to be obsolescent (and it would seem that for the first time in its history the RAF has actually got a fighter that actually isn't *gasp*) then I do find the slightly misplaced eagerness for the F-35 quite comical.
As
Engines outlined on Page2 of this thread, the Typhoon and F-35 are indeed very different aircraft but not sufficiently different to convince any self-respecting bean counter to accept that there's a good case to buy more than we need of either type, especially when (as has been said repeatedly) HM Forces are woefully short of many other assets which are arguably just as (or more) important. You only have to look back through the pages of PPrune to see that we all saw this coming for a long time. Even our beloved cousins across the Atlantic have started to appreciate that there comes a point at which the endless quest (usually encouraged by industry for very obvious reasons) for more advanced weaponry starts to look a tad pointless when there's scarcely enough money to finance what is already available.
I suppose that, based on the lessons of history, the final outcome of this saga will be illogical, bewildering and vaguely sad, no matter what happens, and will doubtless be based on the considerations of political spin-doctoring, regional and national employment figures, and the relative voiciferousness of assorted MP's, Air Chief Marshals and Admirals, and ultimately have very little to do with brochure performance figures.
