DEFENCE Secretary John Reid has admitted that with hindsight an RAF Hercules shot down over Iraq could have been saved if vital firefighting equipment had been fitted.

But the cabinet minister insisted the decision not to fit explosive suppressant foam earlier was a reasonable one.

He made his comments after leaked documents showed RAF pilots had requested explosive-suppressant foam devices be fitted to Hercules fuel tanks two years before the attack.

The entire crew of Hercules XV179 including eight from RAF Lyneham died when the aircraft was brought down by small-arms fire north of Baghdad in January 2005.

In December an RAF board of inquiry said the crash was not survivable but did state that the lack of a fuel tank safety system could have contributed to the crash.

The foam stops fuel tanks from exploding when pierced by bullets.

It has been in use in US and Australian Hercules aircraft since the Vietnam War.

Dr Reid yesterday said that the South East Asian conflict had made the Americans and Australians more cautious of ground-to-air small arms fire.

Before the attack, the RAF believed its aircraft were more vulnerable to missile attack.

He said: "Prior to this tragic incident it was considered on good evidential terms that our C130 aircraft were more vulnerable to surface to air missile attack and that was the focus of our efforts.

"We invested heavily in this area and our aircraft are pretty well protected.

"The Australians and the Americans, partly because of their experience in Vietnam, were more interested than we were in the dangers from small arms fire.

"In our case there had never been an RAF Hercules brought down by ground to air fire in the RAF service history of over 30 years.

"So the decision taken at the time I think was a reasonable on."

Last month the Ministry of Defence confirmed explosive suppressant foam will be added to those RAF transport aircraft facing the highest risk.

Dr Reid admitted an earlier decision on the foam could have saved the crew.

He said: "With hindsight, and hindsight is the only absolute science known to man, of course it is possible to say that this tragedy might have been averted if we had done that.

"But I believe it was done by the RAF on reasonable grounds and we are now trying to make sure that it doesn't happen again."