I realise I bang the same old drum all the time but talking purely in terms of numbers of FJs does not paint the whole picture. I loved the Jag and would fly it again in a heartbeat but a single Typhoon can carry the payload of a four ship of Jags and self defend. Modern weapons are also far more accurate then they were even in 1990.
I know most people on this forum love to reminisce about the past and how much better it was but the current RAF is really not as bad as many make it out to be. A frontline RAF of seven Typhoon Sqns and some F35s (maybe one maybe two Sqns) to replace the still very capable GR4s may not make for brilliant flypasts over Buckingham palace but is still bloody capable. I'm not mentioning Reaper since I'm purely talking in terms of FJs but it also plays a big part nowadays.
I love flying at low level as well but as much as I hate to admit it it's just not as necessary now as it was a few years back. Modern FJs don't need to be down there to do their job. It's a crying shame and I would happily tool around at low level until I'm old and grey but it's just not the way of the world any more.
The price of progress I'm afraid.
BV