I have been reading with much interest the arguments presented so far, however would not like this forum to end on what appears to have been an uneven keel.
Why we need Carrier aviation:
It was not that long ago when aircraft, based in Italy, were unable to get airborne due to fog. What happens when countries don't want to have your aircraft based there? What do you think will happen if Slobodan gets a little restless in the elections coming up?
But, as has been said, the luxury of having your own carrier does not come cheap.
So, where should we be going for FCBA? A CTOL version would undoubtedly push up the cost of not only the ship but what about the training and support structure; the UK has not done proper carrier ops for some time. But it can't be ruled out especially if the VSTOL variants of JSF have so much to prove technically speaking. The other important factor is if we don't have a VSTOL FCBA then where the hell are we heading with JF2000? No doubt the GR7 community pray that we don't see a VSTOL FCBA so that the future guys won't be going to sea. Before we get started on that rather political topic I'll finish. Fine words by the way from JF.
And finally great effort from Boeing!