DD - I'd say that suits BAES very nicely thank you as they have plenty of employees in the area after Tornado gets cut. That means that the BAES workshare in F-35 continues, MoD continues to support British Industry, and the taxpayers money gets vaguely recycled rather than going into Fort Worth's banks.
It also may mean a European logistics hub in East Anglia with any USAF F-35A force at Lakenheath and maybe the Dutch too (if they end up buying more than the one currently flying).
Shorter flying time to the Carriers in Portsmouth, although the East Anglian airspace is not ideal for training in from what I understand.
Much better than a Scottish base, which may be an independant country by the time we get the F-35B force into the UK!
Last edited by WhiteOvies; 4th Nov 2012 at 00:32.