No disrespect to CAS, his wish list is entirely understandable, but...
"I want aircraft to be faster; to fly higher; to carry more; to stay up in the air longer;"
...is all very well, however:
1. The basic laws of physics have not changed and aeronautical engineers have become awfully good at getting the most out of their designs. There is not much more one can do to achieve the above. Aerodynamically speaking, aircraft such as Typhoon are already pretty much optimised as are transport types such as Voyager and C-17. Any significant improvement is going to require technological step changes, which I believe we don't have the money for.
2. Jet engine technology has come a long way but large improvements in specific fuel consumption are now increasingly hard to come by. Engine design will have to change radically, which needs R&D, which needs a LOT of investment. Again, where is the money going to come from?
3. How about re-engining the GR4 fleet with EJ200s? That would allow the wish list to be met for that fleet at least. Nice bit of work for BAE, RR and QQ too, which would fit well with the Defence Industrial Strategy!
Regarding the next bit:
"I want them to be more available; to be more serviceable; I want them to stay in service longer and to take fewer people to maintain them. They have to be cheaper..."
I can't see anyone on the front line or in the training system disagreeing with any of that, aircrew or engineers! However, again it is a BIG ask. The only way I could see the situation improving in the short term is to:
1. Buy a lot more spares!
2. Alongside the existing combat types, get a fleet of cheaper and simpler CAS/COIN aircraft for use when there is no significant air or surface-to-air threat. Fleet of armed Super Tucano's anyone?
Last point - hopefully there will be no more really stupid procurement decisions, such as MRA4 or Sentinel, where the airframe choice was ridiculous and should never have been sanctioned
