A ROYAL Navy radar system has been delayed by three months after workers left a helicopter in the rain.
Flight tests of the £450million Crowsnest kit had to be put back as the Merlin chopper was unsafe to fly.
The Navy loaned a Merlin to defence contractors Leonardo to carry out tests at Boscombe Down, Wilts.
But staff there forgot to treat it with weather-proof paint and to cover it.
They also failed to do any maintenance on it.
A defence source said: “Merlins can cope with bad weather but are not designed to live outside.
“It’s like a bicycle. You can ride it in the rain but if you leave it outside it will rust.”
Leonardo was loaned a second Merlin to get the project going again.
The firm said it “regrets the incident”.
Former Tory Defence Minister Mark Francois said: “Needless cock-ups like this have to stop.”
The radar, retrofitted to the side of the chopper, is 18 months behind schedule.
The Ministry of Defence said it was working to ensure the system would be ready for next year.
Source: The Sun
