CC
I am told that the decision to keep the gliders on the military register is one taken at high level, it is a decision that narrows the RAF's options from an ease of suitable companies that can tender for military contracts and migh paint them into a bit of a corner in the future.
Most glider manufactures won't increase their workforce by 50% for one order, the social costs associated with getting rid of people in Europe are high, I know of one airline with a Uk, French & German companies that took the money out of the U.K. Company to prop up the French company because it was much cheaper to let the viable UK company go bust rather than pay the social security costs of busting the unviable French company.