I think the chaps on the ground would probably want to be certain that the Typhoon was going to deliver as advertised - better to know rather than be 'pretty sure'...
Mr Putin has rather spoiled the deployment to Afghanistan. Gordon's prudent defence spending means that we don't have enough AD squadrons.
Remember that the official government position post SDR and SDR New Chapter (i.e. before the Russians found the fuel and aircrew to resume their
long range flights) was that we'd need at least five AD squadrons to maintain QRA and a satisfactory level of defence of UK airspace in the post Cold War era, and taking account of the post 9/11 threat.
So, logically, we now find ourselves with four AD squadrons (if we include XI) to deal with a far greater set of challenges than the five squadrons deemed necessary to meet a much lower threat level.
It's all very well rehearsing the usual inter-service blue-on-blue and blaming the Typhoon force and the aircraft itself, but the problem, quite simply, is that the government, led by a man who claims that nobody has greater respect for the forces than he does, has left the RAF facing the dilemma of attempting to put one squadron in two places at once, and has helped to ease the problem by delaying the delivery of the Tranche 2 airframes.
It can find the money to bail out a failed bank (to protect votes in its heartlands) and can suddenly discover a few billion to offset the effect of the abolition of the 10p tax band (to protect its core vote), and can double the quango budget over the course of ten years, but it seems unwilling to and incapable of finding the money to provide the kit needed - FJ, AT, SH and the array of kit required by pongochap and his colleagues - despite the fact that it has committed the nation to two wars.
Typhoon isn't the issue here, with respect - it's the way in which the government goes about its business.
And breathe....