RAF F-18 Hornet

[Lawman]

It does of course beg the obvious question: given the Tornado ADV's less than astounding performance and agility, could the UK instead have simply built the EAP as a national project, using borrowed components. It would have initially used the modified RB199s from Tornado, Blue Vixen radar, and a lot of other bits and pieces. The Sea Harrier F/A-2 is then delayed a bit, in order to be built on a modified GR-5 fuselage, allowing them to remain compatible with the RAF's newer generation Harriers. As such, we have the EAP entering service by the late '80s, probably reaching squadron service around '89 or '90. Britain would therefore have two British or semi-British (Harrier GR-5 of course being part American) aircraft reaching service in the early '90s. There would then be efforts within RR to develop a home-grown EJ200 engine, but not just for the EAP, but also for the Tornado GR-1s, replacing the RB199s in a drop-in form. This would allow the EAP to become the defacto Typhoon, and also boost Tornado performance quite considerably.

As such:

- EAP becomes the new British fighter, and gains sales during the '90s to a number of countries
- Tornado GR-1 is then updated with a multi-mode radar (Blue Vixen again?), and gets new engines as well, keeping it up to date and capable
- Harrier GR-5/7 enters service with the RAF for close support, replacing old Harrier GR-3s, but also some Jaguars
- Sea Harrier F/A-2 enters service, but based on the GR-5 airframe, allowing it to remain in service for many years

One major advantage of this being that there would effectively only be two basic engine types, i.e. RB-199/EJ200 crossbreed in EAP and Tornado, and the Pegasus in Harrier and Sea Harrier. The same would be true of the radars, namely Blue Vixen, serving in only slightly modified forms in EAP, Tornado and Sea Harrier; and with attack avionics, developed for all of the types.

This does, of course, leave a need for an interim type in the 1980s, but I doubt the Hornet would be an option, simply because they probably wouldn't be available in numbers until around '86 or so. More likely, if anything, would have been more of the F-4Js ex-US Navy, to replace the final Lightnings; in effect, there would be two batches of Phantoms, i.e. the F-4J(UK)s, and the normal RAF Phantoms.

[Zen]

Then we're really talking about the P110.
Likely with the side inlets and looking like a scaled up twin engined Grippen. This could've been pushed into service quite rapidly I suspect, and the radar options where either the AI.24 Foxhunter or Red Hawk/Blue Vixen. So in an effort to get a new machine into service rapidly to replace aging Lighthings and F4's, this set up is a plausable solution.

This was the UK only design for a 'go it alone' effort, its Germany that insists on the ventral inlet.....
Which opens up some possibilities of course.
One of which is the UK can now pick and choose who to work with on further developments of the machine.
Various avionic fits can be offered to customers.
A navalised option is quite open with those side inlets making the changes necessary far more achievable at a reasonable price.

Yes F4J's are quite likely under this scenario.