Search for 'buried Spitfires' in Burma called off

[viking9]

Archaeologists have called off a hunt for World War II Spitfires in Burma. Originally it was thought as many as 124 Spitfires were buried by the RAF at the end of the war but they have now concluded it was a myth. A dig at the international airport near the city of Rangoon, which used to be RAF Mingaladon, has drawn a blank. The project was financed by Wargaming Ltd, who have said they believe the story about Spitfires being delivered in crates and then buried was not true. Tracy Spaight, Wargaming's director of special projects, said: "No-one would have been more delighted than our team had we found Spitfires. "We knew the risks going in, as our team had spent many weeks in the archives and had not found any evidence to support the claim of buried Spitfires."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21483187

[shakysen]

Hi Tom. Another twist to the story.   http://www.karoo.co.uk/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=N0329271361064824753A&category=World



                                                                                      Bilko

[viking9]

Thanks, Shaky. Personally, I'm not very convinced the original story was true. The RAF had lost a lot of aircraft during WWII and I can't imagine them just burying new aircraft. They would be more likely to have been shipped out.

[Anmer]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8287334/Nimrod-a-sorry-saga-with-a-messy-ending.html

[viking9]

Well, not the first Nimrod replacement programme to bite the dust. Remember the Nimrod AEW3 which was in development from late 1970s to the mid 1980s? Like the MRA4, considerable development issues were encountered, including the (Plessey?) radar which they could not fit into the new airframe. The project was cancelled in 1986 in favour of buying the Boeing E-3 Sentry.

Good news is that the first of three Boeing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft for the RAF is now flying with all three due to enter service in December with 51 Sqn, whose crews are in training now in the States.