For anyone wondering why we wouldn't go and buy the P-8 Poseiden instead of MRA4, the reasoning would be somehting like this - even if it can do it's job, and do it well, it's first flight isn't till next year, and then it goes on to testing. Then the fleet of 108 aircraft for the US Navy will be built. Then the ones for the Australians.
How many years down the line will it be before we get ours then....?
Yes the race is definetly on now, which will be finished first, MRA4 or P8...
Because unlike Typhoon and the Saudi's, I can't see Boeing giving away some of their machines to us instead of giving them to the Navy...
Dashed generous of the RAF to let our chums the Saudi's have some of our front line jets, when there is such a pressing need for them.
Of course there are those who believe that the original RAF order was overstated - and thus the UK slice of the action within the workshare is overgenerous - in the full knowledge that those jets WOULD be going to Saudi.
Normally Eurofighter would expect to share the export order equally, so all would get a bit of the gravy, as they did with Austria.
Now this isn't a Eurofighter thread but there are those who believe that parts of the UK industry are out of their depth trying to make some of the parts for THAT mighty machine, did somebody mention the primary radar?