And I thought the RAF Buccaneer Maritime Strike Force did a pretty good job when the Navy last/previously binned their FJ Force in 1978!
Now if we're going to be accurate here, that's another bit of disinformation.
1. The RN did not have a choice in the F4/Bucc/Gannet/Ark retirement in 1978. That choice had been removed in Mr Healey's 1966 review, where the "plan" appeared to involve this
but in fact ended up with aircraft designed from the start to operate from aircraft carriers! You might say that the RAF ended up with such high-performance cabs because of the Navy.....I wouldn't make the same argument for the AEW radar on the Shack though!
2.
ASuW (Maritime Strike) operations are equally effective from land or sea but you have to have a platform to do it; the Navy has not since 1978!
Errrr, this little beast was OK, although granted not at the extended range possible with a naval aircraft designed for catapult launch.
and that missile system stayed in service till the mid-90s. Lynx & Sea Skua have a rather good record for sinking ships as well, although I'll happily admit that is vs small ships.
3.
So to say that it has to be dark blue led is hoop, frankly
On one level yes, it's hoop. But on the more practical level where actions speak louder than words, as others have noted, the RAF has consistently argued for responsibility for Maritime air operations and once secured, divested itself of the ability to do them as quickly as it could. To the point where today in 2013, the RAF has no capability to attack maritime vessels mounting any sort of modern PDMS. In fact, you can sum up the attitude to maritime by the rather pitiful "Anti-shipping" entry on the RAF website...
RAF - Anti-Shipping
That's a long way from the ATP34 that I remember.
You may well suggest that the Navy ought to be providing that anti-shipping capability. But the unpalatable truth is that the Navy have in all cases given up that air capability at the behest of the RAF, only to the see the RAF then decide they don't need to do it and bin it shortly thereafter. Whether it's naivete or indifference in senior RN or active manoeuvring by senior RAF is largely irrelevant. It has been a consistent result and goes a long way to explaining why the Navy are so suspicious of the RAF and their motives.
Must be getting close to five pages now!