[QUOTE]Woodford must feel a bit sick. Last UK aerospace whole aircraft production capability closed for what - a 5 year payment holiday?[QUOTE]
Apart from Westland. And it doesn't matter how close the MRA4 was to completion if it was never going to meet airworthiness regulation, which seemed to be the elephant in the room five years ago.
[QUOTE]regarding where the 2 new Typhoon sqns will be based, would basing at Boscombe Down be a possibility? It's already down to be a QRA base should the situation require it and there is certainly an RAF FJ absence south of Lincolnshire! As the QRA requirements would imply, its got plenty of HAS', two huge runways and I'm presuming all the other infrastructure that would be required.[QUOTE]
Very unlikely. Every fleet has been rationalised into the fewest possible number of bases in recent years, therefore setting up the Typhoon shop at Boscombe for only 2 sqns would be a significant U-turn. Other problems include integrating permanent QRA into an R&D airfield and the distance to both ranges and likely targets.