The role in Afghan doesn't include any hovering or any particularly short TO & landing, therefore the Hot and High argument is exclusive.
We were trialing LGB on the Shar in Bosnia and dropping alot of ordinance.
Returning from a mission with ordinance isn't an issue in a conventional scenario.
At one of the last little bombing competitions held at RAF Wittering between the FA2 and the GR mud movers, the FA2 came out tops in all disciplines!
The FA2 was due a Secure comms upgrade and an DAS upgrade prior the the plug being pulled.
The Blue Vixen radar was a world beater at AI and not too ropey at look down either. One story from Bosnia of one of our pilots picking up a low flying chopper at roughly 80NM and informing the AWACS, which had a hard time spotting it springs to mind.
I reckon the FA2 would have been ready and would have done us pround too!