The Royal Navy

Good news. We have managed to give both the Americans and the French one in the eye and at the same time have done something for ourselves which as I understand it will please our boys in blue. I'm talking about the decision to drop the F-35 fighter and to buy the Jump Jet instead. Despite the wasted cost of making the wrong decision in the first place the final cost will be less because there will not be the need to spend tens of millions on catapult and landing capture gear. What is more apparently we will be able to have two operational aircraft carriers instead of keeping each one alternatively in mothballs and the first one will become operational three years earlier than it would have done otherwise. The Americans were not prepared to allow us to buy the catapult and landing capture gear directly from the US manufacturers and had insisted we went through a Pentagon agency instead. This would inevitably have put up the cost. Not having the catapults and landing capture gear means the French will not be able to use the carriers for their aircraft, which will no doubt upset Mr Hollande. Perhaps Mr Hollande should think about buying our Jump Jets instead but as we know that's never going to happen. As the world becomes more fragmented and countries circle around to find good fits for themselves with other countries based on common interests or commodities or values or whatever it is clear that the need for a well trained, well equipped military is as essential as it always was.