The problems are really quite straightforward here.......
The people within the RAF who MAKE the decisions (ie those at the very top, the airships) know very little about what is NEEDED by those on the Sqns. They think they do however and that is the First mistake.
The interface for all this is a bunch of civil serpents, who know even less about operational aircraft and flying, but are out to make a name for themselves in whatever way they can (I have seen it! I have actuially heard a very young CS boasting aboout how he was responsible for getting this widgett changed to that widgett) Second mistake.
This government (any UK government probably) is ALWAYS going to select BWOS over any other builder. Enough said.....Third mistake.
Yes, MRA4 was late and over budget. Who's fault? Probably a combination of all those above, but primarily BWOS, the Airships and CS's.
This constant ethos at MOD that CHEAPNESS = Value for Money has got to stop, once and for all. It was evident on the E-3D, when some bright spark decided that 'they' could purchase lower lobe fans from 'Bodgit and Co' for half the cost of those from Mr Boeing, and indeed they did!! The problem was however that the new fans failed probably 5 times more often than Mr Boeings! Was that VFM? I think not.
Nimrod is gone, I'm ashamed, disgusted and astonished. What will replace it? I'm not sure, but I have little doubt that over the next few years, this appalling decision will come back to haunt those responsible when the number of lives lost, that could have been saved, begins to mount.
Shame on all those responsible, but especially the Airships who between them, couldn't sort out all this ****. Perhaps if they had spent less time stuffing their faces with BWOS hospitality and got off their arses and sorted things out, we wouldn't be in this awful position right now.
Winco