Indeed, but the viewpoint here is a Treasury one, not a military capability one. Treasury thinking probably goes something like:
Cost of F35 - not known, but nothing like predictions and higher than we want.
Cost of converting QE's - not certain but significant and MoD always gets taken for a ride by Contractors.
Probability of killing off both QE's in SDR 2015- High.
Optimum Treasury solution:
Opt for F35B now (real costs of which are later) so no conversion costs now to be wasted in next SDR.
Hope to Cancel F35 entirely later. Then buy cheap manufacturing licence for something else to deal with industrial issues if needed.
All easily spun as MoD balancing budget, achieving F35 IOC with first QE, maintaining interoperability with USMC etc etc.
Cynical? Moi?
Still, I hope I'm wrong. The old Ark's Roof was a fun place to be once you got up the learning curve. The Invincibles and Hermes with SHAR were much more relaxed, even nearly forgiving by comparison.
N