The Celtic League is pressing the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence to come clean about its failure to implement safety upgrades on RAF Hawk trainers.

The aircraft operate extensively over North Wales and Mann and there have been a number of safety related incidents in recent months involving the obsolete aircraft.

"The Secretary of State for Defence Rt Hon John Hutton Ministry of Defence Floor 5 Zone B Main Building Whitehall SW1A 2HB

11 November 2008

Dear Minister,

Ref: Hawk Trainer Safety Upgrades

In correspondence from your colleague, Rt Hon Adam Ingram MP, (July 2007) it was indicated that some safety modifications recommended by a fatal accident enquiry into a crash by an RAF Hawk trainer in 1999 were still not implemented by that time.

He said:

"Although as previously stated in my letter to you of 30 October 2006 it was not practical to fully implement the recommendations of the 1999 B01 given the remaining life of the aircraft, nevertheless work has been undertaken to equip the Hawk fleet with a new solid state data recorder to collect data that might help prevent future incidents. To date almost half of the fleet have had this device installed and it is estimated that work will be completed by August 2008."

I note that incidents continue to occur with this increasingly obsolete aircraft which operates extensively over North Wales, Cumbria , SW Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Can you indicate if safety upgrades have now been completed and if so what deficiencies still outstanding, following the fatal accident at Shap in Cumbria some years ago, have not been rectified?

Also, given its chequered safety record does the MOD consider this aircraft is, from the standpoint of all safety considerations, 'fit for purpose'?

For information the reference on Mr Ingram's letter was:

D/Min(AF)/AI MC02932/2007

Yours sincerely,

J B Moffatt"

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Also some items in the older Celtic League archive at:

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J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League 19/11/08

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