ultimate responsibility!
Do we know if the Syerston fleet as opposed to the w-e VGS aircraft were in the same 'state' or do they have a different servicing operation.
Either way not a good day for the MOD/RAF to have got themselves into this situation with such simple aircraft. Boom Trenchard would not be amused.
On a brighter note there does not seem to have been much in the way of 'incidents' emanating from this situation so something must have been working ok even if the recording needs tweaking.
I suspect the real culprit will have been 'bean counting' trying to get more for less and having no idea of how it affects the actual way the job has to be done to meet the 'targets'.