Spot on Engines. Your recall of the QE 'spaces' was briefed not a short time ago. As Sandiego eludes, the time to consider Cat and Trap has truly passed without horrendously expensive retrofit which this country can simply not afford.
More generally, the capability/cost equation doesn't favour Rafale or S Hornet; I.e. investing into legacy platforms for 80% of the cost of an F-35 which is new and has the growth built in to tackle threats for the next 35+ years.