Wheeler needs to update his stance rather given the progress made over the last couple of years.
EagleM - The 'Dummy Deck' at NAS Pax River is made of AM-2 matting. Pax also has a ski jump (for future F-35B testing) and a steam catapult and arrestor wires (used for both F-35C and X-47 testing).
Dedicated facilities such as EMALS at Lakehurst are used for the majority of F-35C cats and traps testing.
USS Wasp trials proved that from a deck crew perspective you can operate F-35B exactly the same as a harrier.
To get to Stuffy's point though (and the thread title) I just cannot see Seaphoon becoming a reality. I saw the brief given to the Indians and while the design work has all been done, it is a lot of work/expense to beef up the undercarriage and fuselage.
If we are forced to pay for cats and traps on the Carriers whether we like it or not (by an F-35B cancellation) we are still better off, as a nation, buying F-35C as we have invested so much already. Remember that BAES builds, in the UK, a significant portion of every single F-35 (A, B and C). By the time we have rebuilt the QEC to be capable, F-35C will be a more mature airframe and off the shelf Rafale or Super Hornet will be distinctly old. Alternatively skip F-35C altogether and go unmanned with an off the shelf UCAS/UCLASS buy (if allowed by the US, which after our comedy involvement in F-35 variant swapping may be an issue).
If the Indians had agreed to front-up the development costs for Seaphoon when they were looking at commonality between land based and sea based fighters, rather than taking the sensible option that they did, then maybe a UK buy would be a possibility. Without it, it's just a fantasy.