All this talk of the R1 makes me reflect on the enormous changes the advent of global communication and freedom of information has brought, and how we deal with the outdated Official Secrets Act and officialdom in general. 20 years ago the R1 was deemed not to exist. 9 years ago I mentioned it at a meeting in the context of a design issue and a Gp Capt refused to answer, saying there was no such aircraft. Now it’s openly discussed. (Of course, the picture on the front of the Torygraph during GW1 was a dead giveaway. Rumour has it MB were apoplectic).
Five years ago it would have been inconceivable that such a damning report as QinetiQ’s (discussed here) was even known to exist, never mind released for public consumption. Even more astonishing, the only redaction has been removal of individuals’ names. That is, a deliberate decision has been made to release what most would regard as highly sensitive information, and not just commercially sensitive. As usual, the MoD were too quick to sell off their research arm and create QQ, but didn’t consider for one moment how to manage the simple fact that QQ inherited a vast history of such reports and information whose ownership was now blurred.
My goodness, the MoD doesn’t half dig holes for itself. Hoisted and petard come to mind. They need to wake up and get with the programme. The world and his dog know what is wrong and how to fix it, so get to it!