Funny how the French always go on about Jack’s input…yet he is the unbiased person here presenting both possible explanations whilst the Rafale fanboys scream “ohhhhh 9 unplanned sorties because the Swiss noticed our alien technology super-über jet”. :rolleyes:

Oman has a similar policy to Saudi-Arabia, usually a mixed fleet of US and UK jets. The F16s already pleased the USA, now its the UK’s turn. It would surprise me if this wasn’t quite advanced already. The MoD will of course not say “we’ve got the Omanis in our bag” but they know that Oman and the UK has excellent relationships, especially in defence (3 light frigates currently under construction in the UK for Oman, Challenger 2, Hawks, etc… .).

There’s also a rumour of second hand Typhoons to Chile. EADS CASA is at the forefront for this one.

Gaining Oman would mean Typhoon has clocked 111 exports. I think Typhoon will have more than 200 exports by end of 2010.

111 vs. 0 in Typhoon vs. Rafailure. :diablo:

Wrong. BAE has its HQ in London, but it is international too. BAE is not building a full scale UCAV, just a demonstrator to fetch money for such a program. 😀

All work (except the off the shelf Adour which has some French parts in it but that’s hardly an issue :rolleyes:) on Taranis will be conducted in the UK afaik. At 8000kgs Taranis is closest to full scale of all European UCAVs. And BAE is HQed in Farnborough (only registered as a company in London). All western defence companies are international these days. But why am I even replying to a troll?

Italy?

Sky-X and Sky-Y are no UCAVs. Italy has a 20% share in Neuron.

I find it funny, bordering on an insult, that people are talking about a UK aerospace industry ‘death’ when according to the SBAC the UK has the largest aerospace industry in Europe and is the only European country to have two national full size UAV/UCAV programmes (first flights: 2009 and 2010) going on.

So, how about a thread, why are all continental European countries incapable of building a UCAV on its own?

Why can’t UK make it’s own military aircraft now?

Case closed.

I’m sure there are statistics somewhere though the UK government might deny that, regarding exactly how much tax each different oil or gas field has generated since inception…A formula for a cut of this to be returned to Scotland might be negotiated.

You surely aren’t serious? That was one good joke, can England demand the billions it paid Scotland between the 1970s (oil discovery) and 1707 (when Scotland was bankrupt)? If you seriously think one trick pony Alex can say: ‘Give us the oil money from 1970 to 20UW, XYZ billions’ and David Cameron will say ‘yes’ then I cannot help you and I doubt a mental asylum could.

You do realize who owns the oil and gas? I’ll tell you it’s not Mr. and Mrs. Scot, it’s mainly BP plc and Shell plc, HQ’s in London.

The RAF wouldn’t have much choice as to what was “cherry picked” as you phrased it.

Actually it has every choice, who’s going to stop England from playing hardball? 52 million against 5 million? If it comes to harsh negotiations Scotland is going down.

Regarding your comments about the Navy, the SNP is commited to a Nuclear Free Scotland, so the SSNs would go south with reparations coming North for the Scottish tax-payers share of the fleet, likewise the Scottish taxpayer’s share of the CVFs would be in reparation.

ROFLMAO, you mean the CVFs that have given Scotland’s economy a huge boost, far more than 8% of the work? LOL. Continue living in cloudcuckooland.

Any new build requirements for a Scottish navy would not be “English Funded” but funded through the reparation funds paid by the government of the remnants of the UK. You might consider that to be the same, or playing word games, but I feel that it’s important that that distinction be made.

LOL. You seem to think on seperation Scotland will get a huge cheque, actually that is very funny, but what will you do about the huge funding gap that will appear?

I’d also ask the question of the remnants of the UK, where are they going to find the financial capability to fill the huge black hole that not having the revenue from Scotlands Oild and Gas would leave them in?
It’s argueable that London is only the financial power that it has become on the back of this revenue, and without it could London hold this place, and keep the remnants of the UK at existing tax levels…I seriously doubt it.

LOL. You are funny, first you say people have been patronising towards Scots and now you’re claiming the 55 million non Scottish Brits have been living off the 5 million Scots! Huge hole? If Scotland goes the remaining UK will have more money per person to spend in the remaining UK. Scotland is subsidised to the tune of 30 pounds a head (very very friendly estimate) to several hundred pounds.