Hawker P.1121 as a British Phantom alternative

Would the Hawker P.1121 have been a good alternative to the F-4 Phantom?

It could work within a sustained British carrier program, but opinions differ on its performance and the improvements further development might have produced.

Choosing the P.1121 belongs to an industrial policy that also preserves CVA-01 and a British-built carrier air group. Heavy domestic involvement could help protect both programs politically. Assessments of the aircraft differ: one view sees a workable alternative requiring different operating methods, while another expects it to be worse than the Phantom. The P.1121 could nevertheless enter service earlier, since the Phantom purchase came about a decade after work on the Hawker design stopped. Continued development might also produce improvements that cannot be reconstructed from the canceled project. The scenario therefore depends on sustained development and adapting naval operations to the resulting aircraft.