Jayand - you could use the same argument with a Trident replacement and I appreciate money is tight but the Nimrod was more than a MPA/ASW aircraft with its extensive use as an ISTAR platform in Afghanistan, anti piracy patrols in the Gulf region and more importantly it SAR role.
New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Norway, Ireland and Malta etc all keep a MPA capability and I can't believe all these countries are wrong.
Maybe its humanitarian / law enforcement role makes a MPA requirement an essential asset we should not be without.
Last edited by A4scooter; 18th Jul 2012 at 20:18.