Then, suits rule, was because industry was stretched quite enough in making the platform. The kit to go in it was: a) beyond industry ken, and b) likely to go in a 2nd. platform. So suits made sense.

The Weapon System, say from 1955-ish, caused Integration to rule, and UK comprehensively stuffed that for a decade or so. See demise of Supermarine and Gloster. By, say, 1965 Govt.’s options were: take charge as own Prime Contractor (which is what we did on Bombs: although we appointed Hunting Engineering as nominal Prime on WE.177, in fact all those Factories doing the clever stuff were AWRE-managed/MoS-paid); or: assign the job to one industry team and pay.

Starting, as I noted, with Panavia, then HSAL on Hawk, that is what we have since done…

until last week. Yet another Green Paper/change of direction: buy simples.

There is no “best” way of buying complex kit…unless you accept what actually exists. See, IT systems: always buy a proprietary product that does 80% of your optimum Spec, never embark on bespoke aiming for 100%. The UOR wheeze (where under fire, all normal buying process is ignored and the User gets, NOW, what he needs) is the way to go. Pols must ignore all the vested interest moaners. But the User’s Requiror must rein in his nerdish yen for newest/bestest, which is the enemy of the good enough. It is better to give our fighters the adequate, now, rather than the ideal later, maybe.

And ignore the jobs issue. If the local product is quickest/cheapest/best, it will be bought. If it’s not, it does not deserve to be bought.