IIRC the reason the Bloodhound force was put back in the UK was because it was required in order to get NATO infrastructure funding for the airfield/HAS hardening programme.
NATO would only pay if the airfields had SAW cover, so the Bloodhounds were placed to cover all the airfields in the south-east and the rapier sqns were put in place to cover LU/LM/KS.
I was led to believe that the order for the stand-down of the Bloodhound force took place within weeks of the last of the funding being approved.
Last edited by ORAC; 30th Dec 2008 at 13:24.