By,
By and large the post Cold War environment IS benign, and Jaguar is more deployable that GR7 or GR4, cheaper to operate, and offers superior (not just equal to) recce capability (EO GP1 with PRISM IDM any time), superior TIALD, and has both gun and CRV 7. It's all about deployability and economy. Also the aircraft doesn't need a fortune spending on it to reach 7,500 FH (it's largely paperwork) and we still own Jags with less than 2,000 FH on them. Compare that to GR4 SLAP/SLEP or HMP3......
Yes it's underpowered and the 106 engine is a CRIME and yes it badly needs better EW, and no, it couldn't fight it's way out of a paper bag without assistance, but compared to the SHar.....
It's cheap, not much money there to be saved, and its retention positive in a community that's seen as vital to EF. Bin it at your peril!
And MOA has a point, the submarine/surface threat is probably more real than the air threat to our ships, while Nimrods potential as a general support platform (perhaps even with Storm Shadow) makes it a versatile post Cold War air power tool.