or with, the RN because they still have plenty of acoustics operators (airborne, surface or subsurface)
Well not exactly actually. Despite the undoubted ASW skills present within the FAA Merlin force, the simple fact is that the FAA are struggling to man their own force. If they divert people to a future MPA/MMA then they stretch an already stretched force, probably beyond breaking point.
The simple fact is, most of the Armed Forces of the UK are now one brick thick. We have, as TOFO mentioned, shot ourselves in the foot by removing aircrew from as many non-flying (but flying related) posts as possible. We are about to handover another 200 or so "flying branch" posts to other branches (not sure where they are going to find more people to fill them though).
