It's a clever bit of cynical
PR; good headlines for the RAF/MoD - the dykebreachers are probably the only RAF Sqn the public knows (apart from the Reds) and many of my civvy friends sleep in their beds at night convinced we have at least 617 sqns of aircraft in the RAF.....after all, most organisations wouldn't miss out all numbers from 230 to 617 would they???
No issue at all having RN crew/maintainers on 617, as 801 NAS will be similar. No need for 899 to stand up provided RN needs are catered for by 17(R) TES as the OEU. I agree with Easy Street - the small (initial) number of F35s being purchased conveys a small CAG, leaving the T45s to pick up the Air defence role. This seems quite a risk - esp given the ASaC 'holiday'. Perhaps subsequent further F35 purchases in the next epoch will permit enlarged CAGs, but this will be reliant of decisions re UCAVs and F35A/B/Hybrid C made in the future.
Mainjafad - the P38 was assessed as sub optimal by the UK as the proposed UK version ordered in 1940 lacked turbo-superchargers and was therefore underperforming. The UK order was taken up by the USAAF after Dec 41; however, it was the RAF name of 'Lightning' that was adopted by the US...so we did have a part to play...