Pilots
Kbuk and Engines,
thanks for your comments. What I was getting at was this: currently the JFH pilots, whether they be RAF or RN, do the same training and are expected to do the same job. They're good at it and neither service could be described as 'seconded amateurs'.
As I understand the plan for JSF, the same thing will happen. Fine so far, but my question is whether this is actually best value for defence. The RAF has enough difficulty maintaining a suitable force of over 200 fast-jet pilots, and this is multiplied greatly when you try and maintain a small cadre in the RN - witness the issues that the Naval Strike Wing has experienced, and were much in evidence when I was at Yeovilton in the 90s. Everywhere else in Defence we seem to be reducing duplication, combining schools etc - I just don't see why we're not looking at this for fast-jet pilots. I don't have a problem with tokenism - fine, paint ROYAL NAVY on the side of RAF jets, and if necessary make the pilots wear gold braid when they're embarked instead of a bar code - but at least generate the force using economies of scale, integrate the pilots fully into the larger cadre and give them a career after flying. More carrier experience among the defence fast-jet force can only be a good thing.