It was due to fly to Mali's capital, Bamako, on Monday morning, but has been delayed due to a "minor technical fault", an MoD spokesman said.

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The four-engine jet left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on Sunday, but was grounded at the Evreux-Fauville airbase until Tuesday to allow the "minor technical fault" to be fixed.

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In a car, such a system could analyse a developing fault and add it to a coming service schedule if it were minor, or if it were more serious locate a nearby service centre, check on workshop availability and suggest the driver go there immediately.

ECONOMIST: Vehicle telemetry