Doh its the MoD

[Craig.]

personally i will be happy to see the harrier go on past 2012, but its original service life called for it to come to an end around the 2012 time, can it go past it of course. As for the US version, they build new ones quite often so you'll see those around for a long time. Just so you know form speaking to my dad. The new destroyers we were getting wont be as many as planned as we cant afford them, and the solution to the weight will be catapults in the end, however someones gonna be in some trouble for it first.

[Tequila Sunrise]

so were being forced into getting real carriers  8)

[Craig.]

as it stands, yes. But to pay for them the rest of the navy will be blackpool beach paddle boats, and row boats with a plank surface to support helicopter ops

[denishc]

......there was no choice.

[Ivan]

Do you guys realise that you are going to fly a Yak-141 with a Lockheed body kit and some small technical changes (one instead of two liftfans)

[Craig.]

actually if the MOD carries on as they are, we will be flying kites with little pebbles attached for weapons

[Hagar]

In my experience you can give the brass-hats the best aircraft in the world & they will want so many changes to the original design it becomes completely useless. This has been so since the first aircraft was used for a military purpose, at least in the Western world. I think you can judge from this that I have no faith at all in the people in charge of procurement of military hardware. ::)

Meanwhile, the factory that developed & produced the Harrier (as a private enterprise) has been closed down. The workforce has been dispersed far & wide and never likely to work together again. Some have left the industry for good. Words fail me.