Install explosive-suppressant foam devices in the ENTIRE Hercules fleet NOW

To:  Des Browne, Secretary of State for Defence

In January 2005 10 lives were lost when a RAF Hercules transporter
plane was brought down by ground fire in northern Iraq. It has
emerged that a safety system that could have prevented the crash was
not installed.

Our previous defence secretary John Reid gave permission for
explosive suppressant technology to be fitted to some of our Hercules
transport planes at some point in the future. He has not made this
incomplete decision in an acceptable timeframe as the report that
recommended the implementation of this safety system suggested it six
months ago, as a matter of urgency.

It has taken a vast amount of campaigning from aircrew and relatives
of the crew of XV179. This has been done to add pressure and send out
the call for the foam inertion system. It is not enough that
suppressant technology is to be fitted to some of the Hercules
aircraft at some point. It must be fitted to all the fleet with
immediate effect.

The men and women of the British armed forces are not expendable
assets who have forfeited their right to life because they chose to
take the queens shilling. It is therefore, not acceptable to deny
them any duty of care from the government, especially based on no
other reasonable factor other than cost.

The Americans have had this technology fitted since the sixties and
the Australians have followed their lead and actioned the fitting of
foam suppressant to avoid any loss of life and aircraft alike. Are
the lives of our service personnel worth less than their coalition
counterparts?
Our armed forces accept that they are to take risks but not
unacceptable risks.

We call on you to initiate fleet wide fitting of
suppressant technology now.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Install explosive-suppressant foam devices in the ENTIRE Hercules fleet NOW Petition to Des Browne, Secretary of State for Defence was created by Hercules Safety Campaign - For the crew of XV179 and written by Sarah Chapman (chapman@mfaw.org.uk).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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