P.125 and FOAS research folded into the F-35 choice

The P.125 extended requirements associated with replacing Tornado and Harrier, with proposed vectored nozzles and additional lift jets for its short-takeoff variant. British and American studies exchanged complementary strengths, with British work emphasizing V/STOL and American work contributing heavily to stealth. In the 1990s, the government judged that a national P.125 would struggle to win enough foreign orders against an American-backed F-35. Joining the multinational program therefore offered a way to preserve influence and obtain returns from accumulated British research.