Well I don't support the view of fully merged Services, but certainly there's a critical mass to justify retention of a semblance of the current structure. Regrettably, the RAF and RN seem to be tumbling out of control to below that level.
With 33,000 people to keep a couple of hundred aircraft in the air, it's not hard to see that there'll be of the order of 100 airmen for every aircraft.
Same for the Navy. Three dockyards, two airfields, 30,000 blokes, 50 (being generous) ships. A tad overstaffed?
The acid test - if the MOD had a reality check, and realized there wasn't enough of the right ships and aircraft to do the task, and upped the orders accordingly, but not the overall manpower count, would the RAF and RN complain, or gladly accept?
OK, I'm done with thread diversion now.
Back on thread, would it be true to say that the A340 would have been a better fit for the RAF than the A330, but the A330 is better suited to the charter market?