Twitter has a video and thread of this Navy cock-up. A RAF fitter has the best explanation for the ‘rain-cover’ being left in the engine air intake. Apparently the practice is to fold these up and use them as a knee pad when inspecting the first stage compressor. If left inside they are impossible to see with an outside visual inspection. It would be a hell of a lot cheaper to buy the maintenance crew $5 knee pads (sorry that should read $25000 at inflated MOD procurement prices). The (almost as bad) RAF procedure is to tie a piece of rope to the cover and leave it dangling outside the engine intake.
Twitter thread link
https://twitter.com/sebh1981/status/1465351592018956295
Glad the pilot was safely recovered, but this just underscores the MOD stupidity in not buying the cheaper and better Rafales. Also the stupidity of the even more expensive white eflump which is just a huge target for hypersonic missiles. Drones on container ships would be much more cost effective!
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