Why European autonomy still depends on transatlantic supply chains

The F-35 is used to illustrate reciprocal dependence, with British contributions embedded in an American-led aircraft program. The percentages quoted in the discussion are estimates, rather than a breakdown established here. Separating European and American systems would therefore require replacing dependencies on both sides of the Atlantic. An interwar Anglo-American war provides the historical counterfactual: British access to alternative European suppliers is presented as a short-term geographical advantage, while American replacement industries might gain the advantage after two or three years. The comparison concerns the time and location of industrial substitution, not just the number of warships each side possessed.