If any of the Typhoon knockers haven't read Page's book I recommend it as a right riveting piece of ................................... FICTION. The bloke obviously has a chip on his shoulder. The book is full of some truths, half truths, rumour and inaccuracies. It was written to sell, not to report facts. It is written from a narrow perspective. If nothing else it was good for a laugh. And "Yes, I have"!
Anyone who quotes from "theregister.co.uk" is leaving themselves open to ridicule, even at a quick first glance the article highlighted by pongo chap is wrong. The Nimrod MR1 was not mothballed in the way implied in the article. 203 Sqns jets were mothballed after years of service when Britain withdrew from Malta. And then they were supposed to be converted into the AEW3.
Page's assertion on Typhoon costs in that article is based around disingenuous mathematics - I think Jacko's NAO report is a somewhat more reliable source!
And for all those that say we need more of this and more of that NOW (Trukkie) you are probably correct. However you are naive if you think that even if the government gave us the money and said "do it now" that we would see those helicopters or aircraft in anything less than 3, 4, 5 - shall I keep going? - 6 years. You cannot just walk into your local weapons dealer and say I want XX more Hercs and YY more Chinooks please and expect them to be delivered immediately - that is simply naive.