This is my first post after quite a few years of reading pprune and I should point out that I am a civvy ("Joe Public" no less) with little first hand knowledge of current mil ops; however I think this thread and the accompanying media coverage warrants some comment. Firstly, I sympathise enormously with TD and others close to the crew of XV230 who simply want to know the truth - at times, just through pprune, I feel as though I have shared your grief. Secondly, glad the crew on Monday got down safely. To get to the matter at hand I feel the issue here is all about risk management, i.e. judging what is and is not an acceptable risk. Flying an aircraft into a "hot" area with the knowledge that you have taken all possible measures to mitigate any risk (intel brief, defensive aids, sortie profile, etc) is one thing; doing that with the knowledge that the aircraft could explode during AR due to a known deficiency is completely different.
In my life in civvy street my employer has a responsibility to take all necessary measures to ensure that I am not exposed to undue risk; in the case of Nimrod crews it appears to me that the RAF has not taken this responsibility seriously enough. I don't profess to know enough about the technicalities to comment in detail but I know if I (or a loved one) was Nimrod aircrew I would be very uneasy about the current "just get on with it" mentality that seems to prevail in the upper echelons of your management.
To all the crews - the British public do appreciate your ongoing efforts and unswerving dedication to the cause.
Fly Safe.