Oh for pete's sake...
I normally don't post on this kind of thread as I have far better things to do, but I'm laid up with swine flu so I will!
500days et al:
Yes I agree entirely, we don't have enough SH or AT. You're entirely right. What you have to realise is that the lack of these assets is not the fault of those who wanted and signed on the line for the Typhoon, or indeed any other fast jet. What you also need to realise is, though we might not need them right this second quite as much as AT/SH, we DO need them, and in sufficient quantities to allow them to do something.
One of the main reasons why we don't have Typhoon in the sandpit dropping LGBs on some Terry is that we only have 2 squadrons of them, which is enough to maintain southern QRA (one of the RAF's core tasks, before you ask!) and to gently work up to the A/G role, but not enough to sustain a deployment of X jets to the sandpit as the mighty harrier has been doing. If they were there, doing that job, I suspect you would be singing a slightly different tune.
As for the funding they take up, I put it to you that it makes no difference at all (practically) if we don't buy the whole lot or not, as the contract is so watertight as to mean pulling out would free up no funds whatsoever. The only shame is that we were so strapped for cash we sold our lot to the Saudis early on, which has increased the length of time until we get a reasonable number of the things so we can let them out of the QRA/airshow circuit.
As for the lack of SH/AT, I would suggest that the responsibility lies not with those who bought Typhoon, but those who thought it would be (a) a bloody brilliant idea to PFI the replacement AT/AAR assets and (b) those who were responsible for the chinook HC3 debacle....
If you want more assets than what we have coming on stream already, then unfortunately that requires more cash.
If someone could have forseen quite how much we were going to have our budget cut all the way back when they signed on the line for the 230 odd typhoons, and used their crystal ball to realise what a series of cock ups would happen in all the procurement streams, as well as the fact that we were going to be committed to fighting a war in a country where nearly half of our existing SH assets are about as much use as the proverbial chocolate fireguard without significant money being spent, then I'm sure that person would have raised a hand.
Anyhow, rant over, don't blame the 'phoon! If we want more SH NOW, we need to put our government to put its' cash where its' mouth is. Unfortunately, there isn't any left, so we'll have to make do and mend, just like we always do. The result of that is that some poor lad somewhere is going to get blown up by an IED, which isn't really acceptable. I present no solutions to that problem, apart from spending more money we don't have.