Nimrod MRA.4

[Rigger1]

Fifteen years to put new donks and systems into existing airframes is preposterous. Then, to come out with only 9 jets instead of 21 just compounds the felony.

Hang on. Before I start I must say I do not or ever have worked for BAE or on the MRA4 project. To put the above is simply not fair.

Yes BAE have had problems however, the customer changed the spec and requirements on numerous occasions, the original aircraft, supplied by the customer, were all different, having being hand built. Ask any Nimrod engineer and they will tell you that dimensions can vary by up to an inch in certain areas, the aircraft were also suffering from far more corrosion than was originally thought and the fact that only 9 have / are been produced is down to the customer – NOT BAE.

Remember everyone said to buy new, it was the customer who wanted a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) program as a cost saving measure!

Why can’t we support our industry instead of always criticising them? OK, they aren’t perfect but do we really want to get rid of our indigenous manufacturing capability? Show me another defence manufacturing company that could have done better. 70%+ of the MRA4’s problems have been down to the MOD and their useless procurement and contract system with ever changing specifications.

And the Contract was awarded in 1996, not in the 80's.