Safeware
Do you think therefore, that all aircraft are inherintly unsafe then? I'm not sure Mr Boeing would agree with you or Airbus Industries, or anyone else for that matter. Don't let the airlines know that their aircraft are unsafe either will you??!!!
The thing is, MR4 may or may not be a new build (depends on who you talk to) but there should be no question that following the loss of the Hercules, and the the loss of XV230, any aircraft coming into service today, should be fitted with todays safety equipment. It is unacceptable to say that as the design/build was done 10 years ago, then it is OK to put 10 years old and out-of-date safety kit onto the aircraft.
We need to get real about this. No one is expecting an aircraft that is 100% safe, but we are expecting is an aircraft that is as safe as it possibly can be. Following the loss of XV230, to NOT fit the bomb bay with some form of fire extinguishant or suppresent is bordering on criminal negligence. It must be done. You appear to be saying that it isn't necessary, and that I find a little uncomfortable. Clearly you don't fly Nimrod for a living!
OHP 15M & DA
I would normally agree with your comments, but on this occasion I don't. I hope that the incident reports get printed in the press, so that MPs, the government and the public can all see what is going on. They are only restricted documents, and if you read the definition of that, then you will understand that there has been no harm done to the service whatsoever. As for the Captains name being published, come on guys, have you never read the RAF news where the whole crew has been named?? Of course you have.
toddbabes comments make for seriously disturbing reading. When you have the groundcrew saying things like that, clearly they are in a bad way and seem to be hurting big time. It makes it even more important and worthwhile therefore that all this stuff gets out into the public domain.
TSM