Fitaloon at MicroShaft

A day after the government announced it’s intention to raid the coffers of the defence budget to fund Afghanistan, despite its assurances they would found the war from Treasury reserves, we get the unconnected news that the Government Response to the damning report  into the loss of  Nimrod XV230 will be released today.

Any disbelief that the early phasing out of the Nimrod MR2′s is connected to this is purely in my mind. The report released in October’s independent review into the 2006 crash in Afghanistan accused the MoD of sacrificing safety to cut costs.

The investigation ruled the incident, caused by a fuel leak, was preventable.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth apologised to victims’ families at the time of the report, and will now make a statement to the House of Commons.

The critical report, by Charles Haddon-Cave QC, said the Afghanistan crash occurred because of a “systemic breach” of the military covenant.

And a safety review of the Nimrod MR2 carried out by the MoD, BAE Systems and QinetiQ was branded a “lamentable job”.

BBC News – Response due over RAF Kinloss Nimrod tragedy report.

More on this later but according to the BBC

The highly critical report, by Charles Haddon-Cave QC, said the Afghanistan crash occurred because of a “systemic breach” of the military covenant.

A safety review of the Nimrod MR2 carried out by the MoD, BAE Systems and QinetiQ was branded a “lamentable job”.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth apologised to victims’ families.

Mr Haddon-Cave condemned the change of organisational culture within the MoD between 1998 and 2006, when financial targets came to distract from safety.

He quoted a former senior RAF officer who told his inquiry: “There was no doubt that the culture of the time had switched.

“In the days of the RAF chief engineer in the 1990s, you had to be on top of airworthiness.

“By 2004 you had to be on top of your budget if you wanted to get ahead.”

Mr Haddon-Cave’s report also criticised two RAF officers.

Answorth is the man who told us the Nimrod was airworthy. He lied then and should go.

BBC NEWS | UK | Nimrod review reveals ‘failures’.

The long awaited Independent review into the fatal Nimrod crash in Afghanistan will be presented to day and is unlikely to be happy reading for a number of parties. I have blogged on this on a number of occasions

It’s interesting to hear also (via Radio Scotland) that of the RAF’s current 11 Nimrods, none are currently deemed “airworthy”, 2 because of bird strikes but 9 because of longer term maintenance I assume associated with the issues raised by the crash.

Bob Ainsworth will of course repeat his mantra of

“report by QinetiQ on the Nimrod has been received and it does not identify any significant airworthiness issues”.

I suggest that this lie will be even more exposed after today’s report.

BBC NEWS | UK | Nimrod review to reveal failures.