No doubt we will re-engine it with a British engine resulting in the slowest most powerful and expensive F-18 ever built..... We will not get the source code for the avionics so will be cap in hand to the USA when ever we want to update something, on top of that we will change the weapons fit, the avionics fit and the in flight refuelling fit just to ensure it is no longer compatible with anyone elses F-18's and then we will have the fighter we never wanted, shortly following delivery we will cancel the carriers and the Royal Navy will pass them to the RAF who in future years will have to buy Amercian surplus versions to bolster the fleet whilst then having 2 variants on the books, neither really compatible with the other.....
USN aircraft are already using the same flight re-fuelling system as us.
We can get the re-engine thing right from time to time. Our Apache is far more powerful then the USA version (Ok it was very late) Also various Wirlwind/Wessex types.
Agree the F4 was trashed by the Speys. They really did only just fit!! (The engine change kits included fag papers to check for clearance!) Should have bought the F4Js all along .