GK121
I agree that CVF is small beer in the Dave-B debate, and that frankly the only people who matter are the USMC. However, Dave-B is more expensive, more complex and less capable than either the -A or the -C, and even the DoD budget is hurting.
I was merely suggesting that if you kill -B, you'd save far more than killing F-136; and though the USMC will cry and stomp their feet, it's not obvious where a MEB or MEU (or whatever they're called this week) would need stealthy fast air that didn't merit the special attentions of a CVN.
Dave-B is a technical marvel; it isn't, IMHO, cost-effective. I don't think that the RAF high command are so Harrier centric that they'd spite themselves to buy -B if CVF goes (and possibly if it doesn't). I suspect that the RAF in 2025 will have an FJ fleet of 5 / 6 Sqns (the sixth being a composite of OCU and OEU peeps) and 4-6 Dave-C Sqns.
S41