Regretfully the Great UK Public is not interested AT ALL in defence issues - all they care about are lower taxes, higher pensions, a free health Service that covers every possible treatment and free education

Defence never features in any listing of "most important matters facing the UK" in any poll - the Meeja prefer "new Aircraft Carrier is same cost as a zillion nurses!"

I'm very very pleased we are getting ANY new MPA's TBH - I'd almost given up hope.....

Being a little devilish :E I'm still waiting for all the naysayers to come out and admit they were wrong. Remember all the "there is no money", "there's much higher priority stuff", "we can't afford it", "never going to happen", "what bit of there is no money do you not understand"? I seem to remember that there might have been an offer from someone "to eat their own hat if MPA came back" - looking forward to seeing the photos of that. ;)

I'm still waiting to see the pictures of tombstone with that rose he promised to...insert if the Vulcan ever flew again....:eek:

RP,

More than happy to 'fess up that I was very negative for along time about future UK MPA prospects and delighted that my pessimism was ultimately flawed.

GL to the P8 boys n girls, happy hunting :D:D:D

MRA4 was cancelled to save the £2bn operating cost over 10 years to 2020. So here we are spending the same money and probably a good deal more on getting nine half as capable P-8s into service in the same timescale. Good game, good game!

EG

Half as capable for half the task needed? Cloth cut?

Oh is that why the MRA4 was cancelled?

I had wondered...

How do we figure an operational aircraft to be half as capable as MRA 4 that demonstrated no capability at all?

PN

That's a bit harsh. The MRA4 systems worked and demonstrated lots of capability (much of which is now embedded within the P-8); it was that airframe that really let the mission system down.