We have invested quite heavily in gaining experienced and qualified personnel on P-8, so it would seem odd to suddenly switch focus completely to another platform in my opinion. The P-8 programme has also benefitted massively from ex-MR2 and MRA4 crews joining the testing and fielding teams; hence if I was at High Wycombe I would want to capitilise on that US goodwill fairly quickly.
Where the money is going to come from is perhaps the major sticking point....