Sad times
It is truly depressing to see that we are now receiving contributions from our American friends which suggest that they hail from those parts of that country where they do not find it necessary to cook their meat before eating it. The long list of those in USA who worked tirelessly for the Nazi's or, worse yet, the Japanese,would include not only "Dear little Werner whose good little earner" was the US Space programme, but the head of NBC postwar research, Mr Ford of automobile fame and Ambassador Kennedy.It saddens me also to recognise that, having spent a Khalif's ransome on developing Typhoon, with one of the declared reasons being to ensure we keep our options open in international procurement, we are again embarking upon a development option in the LM aircraft which, for all its hype, is still in trouble in both spec and delivery terms.( I d not, of course, suggest that marinising a Typhoon is an option, only that the whole proframme was designed to maintain an r&d and production base that would ensure we did not have to follow this route) I still find myself emotionally stirred by the thought of the Andrew having big flat tops. My head however still persists in thinking "where are the URG's and CBG's coming from?" The actual build time on these vessels will see an IOC when? 2020? when the airplane will have been 25 years in development. Politics will drive a procurement of this airplane, however much its capability is finally compromised by its hybrid status. It's a real shame that we find ourselves driving it in co-operation with the sort of neanderthals who post comments such as those I read here today. Mr Boot would be turning in his grave.