Nimrod MR2

Mr. Hancock
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional checks have been made of the Nimrod MR2 fleet since the loss in Afghanistan.

Mr. Ingram
Following the loss of Nimrod MR2 XV230 in September this year, additional maintenance and safety checks have been undertaken on all of the RAF’s Nimrod MR2 aircraft. The board of inquiry is under way and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the crash. Given that the crew had, however, received indications of a fire it was deemed prudent to conduct a fleet-wide examination of areas where flammable materials (such as fuel or hydraulic fluid) may be placed in relative proximity to potential sources of ignition should a leak occur. These examinations included visual inspections of the inboard wing and bomb bay areas, and pressurised functional and leak checks of the aircraft’s fuel system.