Taking a step back
I think that initially after the project had been canceled, I was in shock. However; you have to split the project problems from the capability need.
If you take a step back and look at the last 10 years and what has actually happened within the MRA4 project then it was on reflection probably time to stop. Thats damn difficult for me to say given the implications, but in my opinion we still need the capability that the aircraft would have provided, even Tourist would agree with that to some extent I am sure.
How much more money should we pour into BAE to fix aircraft problems? In early 2000 or 2001 BAE used Nimrod and Astute as examples of how NOT to run projects within the company. Indeed I think they nearly went bust because of them. The design review process (already proven in other areas of the business, but not implemented fully within MAS) was taken on board. But still multiple problems existed within the airframe and mission systems. In recent years limited mission system testing was undertaken because the company wanted to iron out the airframe problems, but that would have left us (the customer) with an airframe but a flaky mission system. I would be very interested in years to come to hear from the Chief Engineer who chaired the design review boards, to understand his (or her) thoughts. Because the buck ultimately stopped with them on whether certain areas of the project were progressed or not (from an engineering point of view).
I also think, again stepping back, that those at Kinloss never really embraced MRA4 until it was too late. From my limited and specialized input into the project the silence was often deafening from Kinloss. Interest levels were zero. BAE would deliver eventually. Obviously this increased in the the last year or so but by then it was too late. But I also understand how BAE made everyone feel like they were banging their heads against a wall all the time.
If you looked at the mission system could anyone at Kinloss or BAE really tell you how Data Fusion was going to work? Did Kinloss ever get a grip of the amount of data that the aircraft was going to produce? Was there a team dedicated (like on the E3 and on Nimrod R1) to deal with this? Nope. No interest.
I could go on, but its getting tiresome. The decision to scrap has not been backed up by reason at higher level convincingly, but I do sadly have some appreciation of why perhaps in the end it was right to call time.