Bismark,
Thank you for that.
However the RN was not beyond a bit of flag waving (or the other waying) too. Think the Atlantic Air Race apart from the fact they needed RAF Tankers.
THE STORY OF THE DAILY MAIL TRANS-ATLANTIC AIR RACE - The Education Forum
I recall the Buccaneer unrefuelled hop across the pond. It started up and taxiied at Goose then had to be topped up at the end of the runway.
There was certainly an anti-Buccaneer lobby in the RAF which did not want the Buccaneer 2* as it might have affected their F111 and then AFVG aspirations. Almost a rerun of the pre-war procurements whee the FAA was the ugly sister.