Fellas - not defending BAE here but if the spec in 2000 was x, and it was contracted and paid for, why should it be delivered with x+y+z in 2010? I mean did Tornado arrive with a Raptor pod on it? No, because that technology did not exist at that time, nor was a need seen for it. Its called procurement creep, and something the military continue to mis-understand.
If the aircraft had been brought into service on time it would by now have had all the UORs for MR2 and probably more as it is a far more capable platform to integrate. Thats the problem
MR2 only took on the overland role because we did not have another platform to perform that task. We do now. At the end of the day we used a maritime patrol aircraft to put a camera on, some comms relay kit and thats about it. We all know what we should have done - laser designator, paveway in the bomb bay, sigint kit etc etc. But the fast jet mafia thought otherwise.