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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Nimrods grounded in safety scare | Nimrods grounded in safety scare |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| All UK military Nimrod MR2 aircraft have been grounded as a precautionary measure after a routine safety check uncovered a dent in a fuel pipe. | All UK military Nimrod MR2 aircraft have been grounded as a precautionary measure after a routine safety check uncovered a dent in a fuel pipe. |
| The decision was taken in the last 48 hours after checks on one aircraft, the Ministry of Defence has said. | The decision was taken in the last 48 hours after checks on one aircraft, the Ministry of Defence has said. |
| The fleet was grounded while the issue is investigated but some of the aircraft have already been cleared. | The fleet was grounded while the issue is investigated but some of the aircraft have already been cleared. |
| It said an inquiry into the crash of an RAF Kinloss-based MR2 in Afghanistan in September should not be pre-judged. | It said an inquiry into the crash of an RAF Kinloss-based MR2 in Afghanistan in September should not be pre-judged. |
| The 12 air force crew, a Royal Marine and a soldier were killed on 2 September when the MR2 came down near Kandahar after a reported technical fault. | The 12 air force crew, a Royal Marine and a soldier were killed on 2 September when the MR2 came down near Kandahar after a reported technical fault. |
| The Nimrod was designed as a sea patrol and anti-submarine aircraft and entered service with the Royal Air Force in the UK over 30 years ago. | The Nimrod was designed as a sea patrol and anti-submarine aircraft and entered service with the Royal Air Force in the UK over 30 years ago. |
| Some of the aircraft have been cleared of this problem and we expect others to follow shortly Ministry of Defence | Some of the aircraft have been cleared of this problem and we expect others to follow shortly Ministry of Defence |
| In the early 1980s some RAF Nimrods were upgraded from the original MR1 design to the MR2, the main roles of which are sea surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and support for search and rescue operations. | In the early 1980s some RAF Nimrods were upgraded from the original MR1 design to the MR2, the main roles of which are sea surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and support for search and rescue operations. |
| Nimrod MR2s fly mainly from RAF Kinloss in Scotland, although a programme to replace them with an up-dated version - the MRA4 - is under way. | Nimrod MR2s fly mainly from RAF Kinloss in Scotland, although a programme to replace them with an up-dated version - the MRA4 - is under way. |
| The MoD said investigations were ongoing "but some of the aircraft have been cleared of this problem and we expect others to follow shortly". | The MoD said investigations were ongoing "but some of the aircraft have been cleared of this problem and we expect others to follow shortly". |
| Checks were carried out on the fleet after the September crash and the Nimrod MR2 has continued to fly operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. | Checks were carried out on the fleet after the September crash and the Nimrod MR2 has continued to fly operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. |
| Its cause is currently being investigated by a Board of Inquiry. | Its cause is currently being investigated by a Board of Inquiry. |
| New generation | |
| Fifteen Nimrod MR2s are based at RAF Kinloss. | |
| Scottish National Party MP Angus Robertson, whose Moray constituency includes the base, voiced concern at the latest development. | |
| "It is the correct decision to put the safety of the Nimrod crews first and all necessary checks must be completed before flight operations are resumed," he said. | |
| "This news underlines the need to finalise the replacement of the current Nimrod aircraft with the new generation of aircraft as a matter of priority." | |
| Graham Knight, whose son Sgt Ben Knight died in the Afghanistan crash, said: "This is at least the third time they have grounded the fleet since the crash and makes me worry that it will happen again to some poor crew. | |
| "It is not as if this is an unconnected fault as it was thought at the time a break in the fuel pipe could have caused the aircraft fire in Afghanistan." |