PN,
The other thing that was mentioned was the timescales: if TSR-2 wasn't going to be in service until 1969/70, then the RAF couldn't claim (however improbable it may look now) that TSR-2 would have been able to cover a credibility gap in the Moscow Criterion between BLUE STEEL and Polaris.
Without questioning the dedication and the bravery of the V-Bomber / BLUE STEEL crews, its ability to meet the Moscow Criterion by the late 1960s was clearly open to question. On this basis, an argument could've been made (and indeed was, with the 2 x WE177 fit with bulged bomb-bay doors) that TSR-2 for the strategic mission could've filled a gap - if the SSBNs hadn't been ready before, say, 1975.
But given that the Resolution SSBN programme went pretty smoothly, the credibility gap argument was never going to be enough to swing the argument in favour of TSR-2.
(Which is a shame, as it could've been completely brilliant, replaced F-111 etc etc etc. Whether it'd still be in service isn't clear to me, though. And N-a-B is clearly right about the engine installation - IIRC, Damien Burke's (absolutely excellent) TSR-2 book suggests that the production series would either have needed a significant redesign for the engine bays or would have been a complete maintenance nightmare.)
S41
Last edited by Squirrel 41; 25th Oct 2013 at 20:33.