Summary
Various papers and BBC Online report that this week's Afghanistan Conference in Bonn has started, aimed at bolstering long-term international engagement with Afghanistan. | Various media outlets report that Iran's Armed Forces have claimed to have shot down an unmanned US spy plane that violated its eastern borders. | There is widespread coverage of the defusing in the German city of Koblenz of two bombs from the Second World War found in the riverbed of the Rhine. | The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday that a suicide bomber detonated a truck filled with explosives at the gates of an Afghan NATO base in Logar province, wounding up to 70. | Various papers reported that a British soldier has been dismissed from the Army after stabbing an Afghan child in the back with a bayonet. | The Sun reported that a British Army dog has sniffed out one of the biggest bombs found in Afghanistan. | The Daily Telegraph reported that 8,000 military personnel will be drafted in to cover security for the London 2012 Olympics after a doubling of the scale of the operation. | The Guardian reported that MOD Permanent Secretary Ursula Brennan has urged the military to promote women to top Armed Forces posts. | The Sun reported that large numbers of former regime weapons have been found in the Libyan desert. | The Sunday Telegraph and Express Tribune reported that American officers seeking clearance for an air strike which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers gave the wrong co-ordinates to their Pakistani counterparts. | The Independent on Sunday reported from the city of Sirte, six weeks after it was bombarded, to see what life is like following the end of the conflict and the death of Gaddafi. | The Daily Star Sunday reported that warnings are being given to soldiers about hearing loss. | The Sunday Express reviewed the weekend's British Military Tournament. | The Sunday Mirror reported that soldier Ben Parkinson, who was injured in Afghanistan, is learning to walk on new computerised legs. | Today, various papers report that the most senior British commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General James Bucknall, says the Taliban cannot 'assassinate their way to power'. | A letter in the Financial Times from Admiral Sir John Treacher and other high ranking retired officers calls on the Government to strengthen Britain's maritime power.
RAF Typhoon spares
The Sunday Express incorrectly claimed that the RAF is facing a crisis because of a lack of spares for its Typhoon aircraft. The paper said that half the RAF's fleet is 'grounded' - this is not true. We regularly carry out routine maintenance programmes on our fast jet aircraft to ensure they are able to operate safely, but that does not mean they are undergoing 'repairs', as stated in the article.
The RAF has not 'scrapped' any Typhoon aircraft for spares and we do not routinely take aircraft off flying duties to remove spare parts. In order to get best value for money for the taxpayer, we do not hold excessive quantities of spares. It is standard practice to use parts from across the whole fleet to meet a short-term need for spares for our front line operational aircraft and order new parts as and when we need them. This only affects a few aircraft in maintenance and ensures we have the operational aircraft we require.
Typhoon is a world-renowned, battle-proven multi-role combat aircraft that is performing with unrivalled reliability. During operations in Libya not a single mission was lost due to an aircraft technical fault.
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