As you are suggesting that Apaches can do the same job as FJ, they might as well replace FJ for all Strike and CAS. Your idea would solve the problem of deploying Typhoons to Afghanistan overnight and be much cheaper.
Nice try, although I would love to see an Apache carrying PW2/3/4 and Stormshadow!
The rather tongue in cheek point I was making was that Harrier is constantly being put forward as the
only CAS asset that can sit close to a theatre such as Libya and respond to any urgent calls without a 3hr transit etc. Standby for a raft of stats about how expensive it is to 'marinise' Apache, how many groundcrew it requires, the fact the the AAC don't want to go to see etc etc etc.
a powerful piece of the overall capability
Which is the beauty of a coalition - not everyone has to have every bit of every capability. Maybe they can lend us some tankers
