[Sutts]

I realise the main point of the update is the colour of the exhaust flame but I think perhaps what's more import is the extent to which the exhaust flames light up the side of the aircraft.

I've seen two night runs and the exhaust flames (sometimes quite large) didn't have any lighting effect on the aircraft - you just saw the flames - nothing visible behind them.

I think the few night videos posted here confirm that fact. I'm not familiar with the proper terminology but in my view the exhaust flames are not an ambient light source.

Take a look at the night time clip and tell me the RAF would have been happy with an aircraft giving off that much light at night. "Sitting duck" springs to mind.