Unlike with the A330MRTT acquisition, in a cost cutting measure, the RAF variant is sans boom, which means that it cannot refuel the E-7A and P-8A, nor any USAF aircraft, which makes it rather less useful in the long term. However if they buy something without trying to UKize it then they seem to get it right more by accident than design.
That's a bit of an older deal - the whole tanker routine is a bit of a mess as it's a PFI deal - a process which has now been entirely discredited as not offering best value for money for the tax payers. AirTanker have already offered to fit booms to the Voyagers as they as a business would get more value return on their fleet if they could refuel everything. Voyager was pre MRTT I believe and the requirement simply didn't exist - the only thing that tanked by boom was the E3. Obviously, if we'd known we'd be buying P8 and E7 to follow, might have been more of a priority but reasonably, why specify a capability you're not going to likely use ?
Mainly, the curse of UK Def Pro has definitely, just as you say, the constant attempts to include UK elements. I need only point to theF4 purchase, adding Spey engines to a perfectly serviceable jet, and in the process, adding enough drag with the enlarged inlets to off set the additional thrust..Wups...
We'll see - I suspect more stuff like the B where we'd be bidding for component manufacture etc will be closer to the norm.
That does leave the Tempest program however.
We'll see I guess.
en.wikipedia.org
