Forwards or backwards to the future?
Every time young Cameron spouts off about defence expenditure and the two new carriers that are coming along, and shifty old Fallon mumbles on about the F-35 and its evolution I keep thinking, these people just never learn. One size fits all just doesn't work in the world of aircraft (except, perhaps for the esteemed Mosquito). Was it common sense to get rid of our well-established carrier/Harrier force before tried and tested replacements were ready and available. No it wasn't and now we face a great, big black hole in our national defences, and are locked into a massively risky and expensive F-35 development and production programme. As an interim measure I would either buy-back those Harriers and some AV8s so as to preserve our field expertise, and/or rent a few Rafales. By so doing we would at least be protecting our practical knowledge base, whereas at present we have nothing to show but loads of very expensive wind and waffle. Apart from our looney politicians, I hold the be-medalled and scrambled-egg covered members of our senior military responsible for this mess. They have acted incompetently and disgracefully.