At what stage do the risks, costs and delays of this project pass the point where it is no longer fit for the UK's purpose? As my kids used to ask "Are we nearly there yet?"
Where we are v. where we originally intended to be
£16bn(?) v. £10bn
One carrier v. two
50(?) jets v. 138
Fully operational (12? Jets) 2025(?) v c.2018
Key Performance Parameters: Less than promised.
OK, many of these numbers are hard to pin down as details are still to be finalised (nobody knows). However that doesn’t invalidate my point: we are getting a lot less, less capable, for a lot more money, a lot later than we wanted. No wonder we get so little equipment for the amount of money we spend on defence. I don't know which component of the military/MoD/government/defence companies is/are to blame. I expect each can find convincing reasons why it's someone else, but whoever it is this amounts to monumental incompetence. There is work underway to sharpen up our procurement processes. It is sorely needed. I hope it is effective, as we appear to be doing an excellent job of defeating ourselves long before we come into contact with our enemies.