LO,
I won't get into a 'who knows what' argument here - I can only set out what I know. If others know more/different, then just fine.
There was no UK money committed until 2001, apart from limited personnel costs.
The quote you set out was from 1996, and confirms that the US was being sighted on UK requirements (NST 6466) - but the UK's influence on the US decision was limited - very limited. We informed the process from our own UK STOVL knowledge, and from UK MoD advanced engine studies, but it was a US programme we were given (privileged) access to - not a joint programme in any way shape or form.
The contribution of the key personnel who kept those comms channels open during those intermediate years was immense - I think we can agree on that.
Courtney,
You'd be interested to know that for a typical air to air burst length, the Mauser puts more shells on target than the 25mm Gatling. All Gatlings take a while to get spun up). And the 25mm round, while very good, isn't as good as the 27mm. However, water under the bridge and all that.
Best Regards as ever to those who did the hard yards
Engines