It was studied (by staff work and not by internet hearsay) and rejected as too difficult to implement and not offering value-for-money with the imminent (in MoD terms) arrival of FSTA.
That is
PRECISELY what holds the RAF back: staff work.
Regulated thinking, a failure to look beyond the next posting or career move.
Too difficult to implement? 9 months, I can have 10 widebodies transporting your troops and freight around the world - easy.
At a push, 6.