is Rafale that much better at 'first day of war' than SuperHornet?
SH isn't Dave C, but SH with Sky Shadow ALCM, ALARM and the door kicked-in with a stealthy Tommahawk barrage is, imv, going to cope with any ADE that the UK is going to have to cope with that the US's B-2/F-35/F-22's haven't already done the dirty deed on. more importantly, its actually available and the price difference means that we'd be able to get a decent weapons package fitted - Meteor, ALARM, SS ALCM, Harpoon(?), EPW IV, Brimstone.
imagine a single platform FJ fleet, all multi-role, full A2A and A2G capability, and all carrier capable....