RAF forced to use binoculars to search for British sailors after patrol planes scrapped

An RAF Hercules sent to hunt for four missing yachtsmen has no specialised search equipment and crew will be forced to rely on looking out of the window with binoculars due to Coalition cuts.

RAF officers admitted the transport plane sent to join the search over the Atlantic will be relying on “Mark 1 eyeballs and binoculars” because Britain no longer has any sea patrol planes.

US coastguard aircraft, which resumed their search for the missing sailors following pressure from the British Government, are able to deploy sophisticated sensors to hunt for the missing men.

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