@betty swallox
Second, maybe third even. Too often the mil ends up wanting the most amazing piece of kit and ends up either with tiny numbers or with none, and a huge bill. Big bill for Nimrod, zero in service being a prime example. If the platform is capable of medium range civilian search, and capable of detecting Russian subs, that's the minimum spec fulfilled. It might not be the best, but if it does the job it's still better than no capability, and it frees up funds for other requirements. There's also potential value added here if we can help use them for customs patrols and immigration patrols too. I'd also like to see some real penalties for procurement people who screw this stuff up. This is public money.