I'm not sure I understand this sudden drive to buy the P-1 over the P-8. I get that it's currently the shiny new piece of kit on the block, and that RIAT has certainly raised its profile, but as an MPA/ASW platform is it really any better than the P-8? I guess the Japanese themselves don't even know the answer to that one yet, as it's still in OT&E.
Is it cheaper to procure, operate, and sustain (it's a genuine question, as I have not seen any firm figures)?
And what of the interoperability and support base that comes with fielding a platform already in service with the US Navy (not to mention the already growing export market)?
Has the UK's experience of fielding Boeing products (C-17, Chinook, Apache, Airseeker [ok, probably not that last one]) really been so bad that we would jump on anything else just because it's not Boeing?