IN reply to FE Sharpe’s plea for the Ministry of Defence to keep the Harrier jump jet (HAS, Mar 24).

In July 2012, Britain was handed its first joint strike fighter – a jet known as the F35 stealth fighter. Each one costs in the region of £100m.

This aircraft has replaced the Harrier and will fly from the Navy’s new aircraft carrier when it is finished.

The Harrier had a range of 300 nautical miles and a top speed of 650mph. The F35 has a range of 450 Miles and a top speed of 1,200mph.

A BAE Systems test pilot said it was worth its weight in gold.

It can carry a heavier weapons load than the Harrier and, as a result, packs a bigger punch.

From 2018, the Royal Navy will be flying a new generation of vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft from a state-of-the-art carrier.

I am also confident that, should we need some Harriers in a hurry before then, the US would be happy to lease us some of its aircraft.

Let’s just hope we can live in peace and never have to use them in anger.

Sadly, events since the end of the Second World War would suggest otherwise.

JM Gowland, Heighington.