Originally Posted by
Wander00
But are we still leasing or have we bought them/any of them? In which case I guess the restriction on airframe we own, if any, would cease to be effective
The RAF now fully owns its own fleet of 8 aircraft.
Any restrictions now in place are down the the RAF Release to Service and capability requirement alone, which still prohibits much of the non-Strat role.
I think it's important to remember the climate at the time - the RAF was entering into a 4-year lease to cover a perceived short-term gap in Strat and outsized lift capability.
Faced with that task, do you,
a. Undertake full trials and staff-work to clear all roles (look at the C-130J for a loose comparison of timelines and complexity), or,
b. Simply insert the word "Prohibited" next to anything outside of the Strat AM concept.
I know what I'd do!
Back on thread though, what will be interesting will be to see if the RAF thinks we now need those roles; if so, let's see how long it takes for those prohibitions to be reversed in the now, post-Hadden-Cave environment in which we find ourselves.