'One in three RAF Nimrod planes fit for use'By James Kirkup Political Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:29am GMT 24/03/2008
Two thirds of the Royal Air Force's Nimrod spy planes are not fit for purpose, the Ministry of Defence has admitted.
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The disclosure will renew concern about the state of the ageing aircraft, which have been at the centre of repeated safety scares, and at least one fatal accident, in recent years.
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The Nimrods are all more than 35 years old but remain in service because plans to replace them with new aircraft have been delayed repeatedly.
Despite their age and recent history of mechanical trouble, the aircraft play a vital role in operations in Afghanistan, flying high-altitude surveillance missions over the country to provide ground troops with crucial intelligence.
There are 15 Nimrods stationed at RAF Kinloss in Scotland. But Bob Ainsworth, the Armed Forces minister, has admitted that over the past month, only five were judged to be fit to carry out missions.
Last year, the MoD admitted to a catalogue of failings, misjudgments and missed warnings that led to the death of all 14 servicemen on board a Nimrod destroyed in a crash in Afghanistan in 2006.
An inquiry found that the plane caught fire and exploded after leaking fuel caught fire. Frequent fuel leaks and other mechanical failures have been reported on other planes.
The current generation of Nimrods was due to go out of service in 1995 but will continue to fly until replaced by the new MRA4 model, which is not expected until 2012.
An MoD spokesman said last night: "There are sufficient aircraft to meet the operational requirement. At any time some aircraft will be undergoing scheduled maintenance, modification and/or rectification work or undergoing trials. This is a normal aspect of managing our aircraft fleets."
Link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/24/nmilitary324.xml
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