Who cares about the Hawk...
Whjat we need is front line capability not just cobbling together a package that can acheive the aim on paper. We need aircraft that can deliver a punch there and then. By then time the ROE have been cleared over Afghanistan it is time for the pointy jets to return to the tanker and get some more fuel, by the time they get back the target has gone away....
Time we had a full capability review without fast jet bias. Yes, we need the fast boys to go in when the going is tough, i.e. the first few days of war fighting (thank god for the bang seat) but after that we need to be able to stay around and take out the opportunity target as it presents itself. far more cost effective to have a few large aircraft around for a longer period of time than some fast jets for a few hours...