From The Register:
One of the sorriest British defence procurement stories of recent times - which means a very sorry story indeed - finally approached resolution this week. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that it will modify eight large helicopters it has had since 2001 so that they can actually be used.
You read that right: even though British troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are crying out for helicopter lift, eight big brand-new choppers have been sitting in storage in the UK, grounded by MoD idiocy, for six years.
The MoD has attempted to suggest that the mess is somehow not their fault, saying that Boeing and the US government have not cooperated with them. Boeing have responded that the HC3s would not have a problem getting cleared for instrument flight in the US, that they were delivered exactly to the contract spec and that internal MoD madness isn't their problem.
Full story at:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12...s_fly_at_last/