WEBF,
Just because I am anti-Tory does NOT mean that I am pro Labour.
I am ex-RAF GD (FGR2 woo hoo!) and am now employed in the Aerospace industry, not by BAES.
I do not see what relevance the procurement antics of the Italian and Spanish naval air arms has here, have they EVER been employed operationally?
Your lessons from the Falklands were learnt, absorbed into our procurement plans and tactics amended accordingly, TWENTY ONE YEARS ago!
They are no longer relevant, the world has changed. Fully formed naval task forces and task groups no longer face a sophicticated over the horizon threat, there is no-one out there who has the technology, nor, more importantly, the desire or the motive, to pose such a threat.
A modern western naval task group sailing hundreds of miles off shore is simply not threatened by anyone these days, but more importantly, it would also be a useless irrelevant force in todays world. Naval warfare these days is a close in littoral affair, providing support to land forces, something the GR9A will be rather good at, and something the SHAR is c**p at.
The threat we face these days is from Suicide bombers, hijackers, car bombers, explosive laden high speed boats, e-threats and improvised Bio and chem bombs. All of which are a deadly foe, none of which could the SHAR defend against.
The world has changed, and it could change again, if it does and organic AD becomes a vital attribute once again, then the F-35 ( and no I am not Lochkeed Martin) will be an excellent solution. If we are still in the same strategic scenario then as we are now then the F-35 will still; have a very useful ability as a stealth strike attack assett, something the SHAR could never be.
We are no longer in the business of defending super sophisticated Naval Task groups or Convoys from hordes of sea skimming missiles.
FACT.