Only problem is that the 748/ATP has drifted into history in much the same way as Nimrod has. I guess that with the last C-130K aircraft retiring vey soon, they would be the really cheap alternative, if the MoD has suddenly decided that we do need a SAR/ASW aircraft after all. On the other hand, now that we're all European (*cough, splutter*), there must be more than a few abandoned Atlantics in need of a good home!
I assume that the dark rumours of P-8 Poseidon aircraft may well eventually bear fruit, but somehow I don't think a tarted-up Boeing is much of a replacement for the mighty Shackleton and Nimrod. Funny how the idea of a maritime VC10 flapping its airliner wings over the sea at low level seemed ridiculous in the 1960s and yet it seems that the lowly 737 is somehow able to take such matters in its stride...
