The Hawker Siddeley/BAe Nimrod served the RAF for over four decades. Developed by Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace) in the 1960s, it was based on the de Havilland Comet, entering service in 1969 to replace the aging Avro Shackleton. It featured an upgraded airframe with a large internal weapons bay and a distinct ‘double-bubble’ fuselage to house advanced radar, sonar processing gear, and electronic countermeasures. In the late 1970s, the fleet was upgraded to the MR2 standard, which greatly improved its acoustic processing and radar capabilities.
During the 1982 Falklands War, Nimrods flew gruelling, ultra-long-range surveillance missions from Ascension Island, and provided vital reconnaissance, search-and-rescue, and overland surveillance during the Gulf War, unrest in the Balkans, and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Specialist variants, like the Nimrod R1, served as dedicated electronic intelligence (ELINT) aircraft. A major project to rebuild the fleet into the technologically advanced Nimrod MRA4 was cancelled in 2010 due to severe budget overruns and delays. The remaining Nimrod fleet was officially retired in 2011, marking the end of an era for British maritime aviation.
This latest Warpaint includes all the usual expertise and research that has made the series the benchmark for aviation reference material. The author presents a full history, development, and a comprehensive walkaround, with colour artwork and plans by Sam Pearson.
