Nimrods grounded
News of the World
By Robert Kellaway, Defence Correspondent, 02/11/2008
Nimrods grounded
BRITISH forces in Afghanistan had no airborne surveillance cover for TWO WEEKS after fuel gauge faults grounded two 30-year-old Nimrod planes last month.
Senior officers believe it compromised safety of our forces on the ground.
An insider said: “Bosses claim unmanned aerial vehicles covered them. But RAF Nimrods have specialist crews who listen in, observe targets and direct ops. The Taliban rightly fear them.”
An MoD spokesman said aircraft were regularly sent to the UK for maintenance but added: “We do not comment on the detail of operational deployments.”
The MoD already faces £20m lawsuits after a Nimrod crashed in Southern Afghanistan, killing all 14 on board two years ago—after a fuel leak.