Nimrod fleet grounded over safety fears

The volte face came as a bittersweet victory to the families of the 14 servicemen who perished in the British military's greatest single loss of life since the Falklands War. On 2 September 2006 the 12 RAF crew as well as a Parachute Regiment trooper and a Royal Marine died when their Nimrod MR2 exploded over Kandahar.

Graham Knight, whose son, Sgt Ben Knight, 25, was among those to lose their lives that day, said: "After his death I said to my wife I hope something good comes from something so bad. If it improves the safety of aircraft in the RAF, it will be a fitting tribute to him."

Mr Knight, who has fought for more than two years for modifications to the Nimrod fleet, described the announcement as a "vindication" of the families' demands as well as that of the coroner, Andrew Walker, who said the entire fleet should be grounded.