I'm afraid the "allegedly" part of it is just that. Utter hoop.
No FW-required systems have been removed from Illustrious, indeed the only A&As of note include enhancements to air weapons mags. If by removing FW operating ability, they mean, we've taken the ASE and other "portable" stores off, then the fix is simple. Next time she's alongside, put them back in the ship.
As for the point re T45, "layered defence" is a principle of all military ops. Always shoot the archer, not the arrow is another basic principle which the "Capability" Types seem to have forgotten. T45 will never (either by nature of the threat or by RoE constraints) be able to provide all the air defence required. That does not mean that the aircraft on the ship will need to be there solely for AD, you can vary teh posture relatively easily - particularly if you have a multi-role type like FA18, F35 or SHAR.
The analogy for a land-base is to assume that because you have the Rock Apes and HESCO revetments (or HAS) that you will never need E3 or Rapier (or DCA fixed-wing for that matter).
Last edited by Not_a_boffin; 25th Jul 2011 at 12:45.