15 years ago I bought and red Tony Butler wonderful books. Loved both 141 and 146, modeled them, exactly from a Jaguar, and a Phantom (the irony !)
Bac P.141 indeed. As you said a nice in-between the Jaguar and Phantom. Small and modern like the former, but a powerful fighter like the later.
P.141 vs Phantom, would be awesome. P.141 advantages would be, a more modern airframe and better engines. J79 was excellent but a 50's turbojet. By contrast in the 60's GB had many very advanced turbofan engines, small very small and compact (RB.172 and many others).
From 1964-65 Phantom sold in very large numbers, despite its sheer cost and complexity and lack of agility. Half of the countries who bought that bird (the F-15 of its time) ended replacing it with a LWF (F-16 or F/A-18).
The P.141, more recent and with more economical engines, could be an interesting alternative.
Bingo. Well such a man needs to be a "political wizzard" as much as an engineer. Dassault had a knack to read the Armée de l'Air RFP, telling them "yeah, we will deliver" and then go to his engineers and said "That RFP is rubbish. Prepare Plan B, that is - privately funded, cheaper prototype alternative. Lower performance but lower cost because, you know - no bucks, no Buck Rogers."
It worked the followed way
1955 - "Mirage I and II, LWF for NATO. This is complete shit, prepares Mirage III-01 instead." 1400 build.
1965 - "Mirage F2, Mirage G, Mirage F3. They are cool, but they are toast. Prepare Mirage F1-01 alternative instead." 700 build.
1975 - "AFVG, Mirage G4, G8, ACF, 4000. They are toast. Prepare Mirage 2000 alternative instead." 600 build.
Read the tea leaves, they said.
