You know that isn't going to happen ! There is always going to be an angle -the taxpayer is always going to want to feel good about the deal and thats where some kind of offset will come into play. The Daily Mail would be all over the Mod 'scrapping' British Apaches to buy the 'same' from the U.S. Whether its right or wrong 'jobs for the boys' will be involved
So yes perfect sense for the taxpayer would see a straighforward buy -the political constraints of cash strapped UK however is going to dilute that in some shape. That shape will be in the form of rebuild British machines using the engines we already have . So yes a fudge but one that can be fought for by the Army without trying to justify new airframes and a new engine type.