Nimrod to be scrapped

[magnu]

On the news this am. RAFs fleet of new nimrods are to be scrapped before they have finished being built.
The new build was said to be a world leader in its class but according to the goverment scrapping them now will save money in the long run.
And they wonder why they are viewed with mistrust ,loathing and about as welcome as a dose of the clap.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Did they give a valid reason (replacement) other than cheaper in the long run?

 

[magnu]

I don't think there will be any sort of replacment either in the short or long term.
If things carry on the way they are then I think they may scrap all of the armed forces and just plant a very thick tall hedge round the entire coast.

 

[mikewint]

Barberry works very well and it grows pretty red berries too

 

[magnu]

Sorry no good it'll make the whole place look pretty and inviting.
Some sort of Leilandi with the top cut to look like merlons and populated by sarcastic French might do the trick.

 

[pbfoot]

You'll still have a very capable ASW aircraft with the older Nimrods,
Shades of the Arrow by using a backhoe to get rid of the airframes in production

 

[Airframes]

The current Nimrods are already earmarked for retirement.

 

[Glider]

The 'new' Nimrods were anything but new as the basic airframe is ancient, they were not new builds. Its also true that to say that they were hideously expensive. £4.3 billion for 9 aircraft which must give the B2 a run for its money for the prize of the most expensive aircraft in the world.
The Project is 9 years late, had tripples in cost, only one was flying and that had failed some of its tests. It was and is a classic example of how not to buy anything.

To put it another way, the RAF could buy a dozen of the new P8 aircraft entering service in the USA, give every person who loses their job a cash tax free payoff of £500,000 and still save £2 billion.

It was a bad idea and a disaster of a project.

 

[pbfoot]

were they new airframes or just a major overhaul/rebuild

 

[johnbr]

BBC News - Why smash up a brand new spy plane?

 

[Capt. Vick]

My God just look at that picture... Where have we seen this before? Oh, that's right: B-49, CF-105 Arrow, TSR-2, V-2000...

 

[vikingBerserker]

Cripes, shame they could not at least turn them into cargo craft and sell them that way.

 

[jamierd]

Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Equipment and Logistics | Rivet Joint joins Future Force 2020

 

[Glider]

I had heard about this but hadn't seen anything for certain. At least someone in the MOD has their head screwed on right