Get ambitious

Britain awaits 138 complex F35 aircraft at a total development and delivery cost in the region of $21 billion. Meanwhile the basic airframe price of the hugely effective and world-proven F15 fighter has dropped to a mere $12 million. That is without avionics or weapons, of course, but Britain excels in making those, so allowing for another generous $12m per F15, about $4bn would have bought 11 squadrons of a fully operational aircraft, off the shelf, and in time for carrier service. Granted, the F15 would have needed a catapult launch, and the launch and retrieval system for our new carriers was omitted to save cost, thus committing them to the expensive F35, but had it been included, a saving could still have been made, and other conventional aircraft could have operated from the carriers.

Neither would there have been the F35 snags to iron out in service at goodness knows what cost. Why did we choose a risky and expensive development aircraft when a low-cost, proven world-class machine was immediately available? MALCOLM PARKIN Gamekeepers Road Kinnesswood, Kinross