Airbedane
Agreed all that. But the time to have done the deed was 8-10 years ago. Hence my comment about under investment. It is a fact of life that certificating the aircraft with the 11-61 sitting behind a different shape of nose to the B as well as the intake issues would have been made a big job (as opposed to just dropping the thing in the engine bay and changing a few couplings etc) and people did not make a strong enough case then. If it had been done then would it have been sensible to ignore the cockpit internals? And so it goes on and on. Min change (however valid) is v difficult stuff to push through and manage. As it happens and with hindsight we have been lucky and the RN have not actually needed an air defender since the Falklands. Let us hope their luck holds. If it runs out then the sailors lives will depend on the RN of the day saying, sorry we cannot do that job, we do not have the kit.
Regards, John