At the risk of starting a rumour that the RAF is not seeking the demise of the RN on a ceremonial funeral pyre of HMS Victory (this is a rumour site after all....), I'd heard that the loss of Heron Flt was an RN decision, in the same way that the creation of JFH and the binning of the Sea Jet was an (undoubtedly painful) RN decision that the RN then sought to pin on the dastardly RAF - can't have it both ways, fellas...
In short, if the RN desperately wanted to retain the Sea Jet or Heron Flt then they could've done: but at the expense of something else they valued more.
(Besides, doesn't the Senior Service realise that the RAF High Command is far too disorganised to run something as complex as this sort of plan?!?
)
S41