As an outstander I'm wondering about this interservice rivelary and basicly still sticking to old world references and requirements as the benchmark.
Look where it has brought you/us.
I think the chances of some future European MPA operation are bigger then doing a facelift of how it used to be. The policies of the EC countries on international interests and issues are converging IMO.
A bigger platform and a smaller platform seem no brainers. E.g. A force spread out over 3 bases, 1 in Northern UK, Portugal and south of Italy seem logical. Funding and crews from all participating Nato / EC countries, standardarized platforms and procedures. Maybe it could be combined with e.g. AWACS, tanker, transport and SAR forces.
Overlapping capabilities would allow for major efficiency and effectiveness steps.
FYI the EADS offerings:
A-319
Imagine the UK had 10 yrs ago ordered 10 A319MPAs and 10 CN235s, no overspecification, of the shelve, instead of rebuilding the Nimrods. They would have been flying and paid for by the billions spend sofar on the MR4.
(to be clear I sympathise with the people around here that put a lot of life and energy in the Nimrod operations and now find themselves / families in uncertainty)