http://www.publications.parliament.u.../110/110vw.pdf
Good to see the ex-RN crowd expending so much effort to show why Maritime Patrol Aircraft are so ineffective and why they should not be procured. They seem to have provided years worth of ammunition to the Treasury as to why we should never-again invest in such a capability.
How they link the MPA discussion piece to F/A-18 buddy tanking capability is remarkable (although their analysis of the capability to extend the range of a strike or fighter package is fanciful) but threading in the cost of Typhoon is a masterstroke. Apparently the ex-RN admirals think it costs £34 billion to run for 15 years. They get even more creative with the 15 year cost of Sentinel and E3D!! Thankfully the carrier can do everything that land-based aircraft can do with a 15 year cost (all inclusive) of just £8 billion.
Why do the ex-admirals invest so much time trying to fight with the other services?