Sharkey Ward demands another U-turn....back to the F-35C or F/A-18E-F.

Relentless.

Cunning.

A never say die attitude.

All this and more can be used to describe Sharkey Ward, hero of the Falkland Island's Air Sea battle.  One thing that can't be stated is that he's a F-35 booster.  At least not in its purist sense.

I made that mistake and I was wrong.

I've accused the critics of the F-35 to be a loose amalgamation of people that have separate agendas but bound together by a single goal.  KILL THE F-35!

Sharkey isn't a F-35 booster...he's a naval aviation purist and he wants a fully capable, fully functional carrier air wing in the US Navy image.  If that means getting there by flying F-18's, Rafale's, Sea Typhoons, Sea Gripen's or any other airplane on the market place then that's ok by him.  Check this out...

I fear that there are some who are content to accept the decision taken by the Secretary of State last week on the F-35 variant to be procured for our new carriers.

There appears to be a view "that the STOVL aircraft is far better than nothing at all" and that "living with ramp fitted carriers will not be such a bad thing".  I'm afraid I can't agree and I go along with the well put remarks in the article by DefenceSynergia (attached).

My biggest concern is not just that we will have a more limited capability than with the F-35 or the F-18.  My most serious concern is that for operations in bad weather and/or very high temperatures, we may not be able to operate the aircraft at all.

My attached paper underlines this - at page 6/7. Within the paper I have taken pains not to be critical of the Secretary of State or other ministers and I place the blame for this flawed decision entirely upon the MoD advisers who persuaded the Secretary of State to take this way ahead.

I understand from press articles that Mrs Margaret Hodge, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee is furious at the manner in which her Committee and the Government have been misled on Carrier Strike issues - and, reportedly, is initiating full investigation with the NAO.  Good for her!  But if she is to get anywhere with her investigation, she will need to be pointed in the right direction, don't you think?  Listening to the same sources that advised the Secretary of State will not enable a serious investigation to get to the root of all these problems.

It is not too late for the Royal Navy to get this right (unlike the Sea Harrier decision and then the Harrier/Ark Royal decision).

I'll be posting his attachments shortly but a couple of points.  Before you dismiss his ideas understand that the British Government appears to be subject to the whims of vocal minorities...combine that thinking with the pounding that the F-35 has taken in the public relations realm along with the voodoo economics that Sweetman and Aviation Week have saddled the plane with and you have a govt that can be made to change course again.

I thought this issue was dead.

I think I was wrong.