RAF Harrier and Tornado jets auctioned

[frodo_monkey]

A Hawk with an hour-ish endurance and a couple of 'winders isn't going to do anything against a Blackjack!

I guess the counter-argument is 'did we have air supremacy over the UK during the period?'. Yes, as we did during the Lightning and Phantom eras as well as now with Typhoon. Which means they, and indeed the F3, served their purpose - not just against the Russians, but also as a deterrent against a similar attack to 9/11.

[IanMorewood]

Much defence spending could be deemed a waste of money, the trouble is that if you don't have the kit your potential aggressors won't give you a five year warning to arm yourself. So the F3 filled a perceived gap and helped keep up part of our part of the NATO air defence shield (also gap filled for the Italians in a similar role).