xray 1,
You'll forgive me, I hope, if I don't take seriously someone who can't spell simple words like 'role' and who is clearly still at the 'Daily Mirror' level of appreciation when it comes to the capabilities of particular platforms.
And who is quite so clueless as to why the F3 (along with the F-14) was held back during Granby.
You must also forgive me if I assume that you are a particularly ignorant and narrow minded cabbage eater, presumably advocating spending only on 'boots and bayonets'.
The need for UK AD was surely highlighted by what happened on 9/11, while the Jaguar could have been a very useful asset in the present theatre, augmenting Harrier and GR4, and spreading the pain of deployments around another FJ community.
The F3 has never been an impressive close in, air-to-air dogfighter in the mould of the Teen series, but it has matured into an extremely effective and useful AD aircraft, and it could quite easily have taken on a broader spectrum of roles (including SEAD) had the will been there, as was demonstrated by No.11 Squadron.
And far from a waste of tax-payers money.
Early withdrawal means a further move away from the five AD squadrons that are widely reckoned to be the bare minimum required to maintain and sustain current UK air defence (and Falklands commitments). The amount saved will be piffling (the running cost of one squadron for less than two years) and it will leave a massive gap in our core capabilities.
Still, as long as there's money left in the kitty for HMS White Elephant and HMS Pointless.