There were 13 AEW/ASaC Mk7 cabs, against an actual requirement of 16. (8 Mk2s, 2 existing attrition airframes and 3 extra conversions). But rumour is that only 8 Merlins will be modified, probably reflecting a significant change in the operational requirement. (Originally expressed in xx hours continual coverage from a CAG). MoD don't like talking about this, because the winning "Mk7" bid was Merlin with a Blue Vixen variant - it was the only bid that was remotely compliant with the requirement. But a political overrule was made stating the radar upgrade part of the programme WOULD be awarded to SE England (specifically, Crawley), not Edinburgh or Los Angeles. This was related to job retention in a Tory seat.