The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a four-jet maritime patrol aircraft developed from the de Havilland Comet 4 airliner for the Royal Air Force. It flew from 1969 to 2011, hunted Soviet submarines, and its replacement, the MRA4, was cancelled in 2010 after £3.4 billion had been spent. Developed by Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace).
The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a four-jet maritime patrol aircraft developed from the de Havilland Comet 4 airliner for the Royal Air Force. Developed by Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace).
Photo: Mike Freer - Touchdown-aviation, GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2See Specifications for full detail.
The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod is a four-jet maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft built for the Royal Air Force, developed from the de Havilland Comet 4 airliner. It entered service in October 1969 and flew for the RAF until June 2011. [1] [2]
The MR.2 hunted Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic, took part in the Falklands and Gulf wars and flew intelligence missions over Afghanistan and Iraq. Its replacement, the MRA.4, was cancelled in 2010 with none in service, and the National Audit Office put the spending at £3.4 billion. [1] [2]
Air Staff Requirement 381, issued on 4 June 1964, called for a replacement for the Avro Shackleton. Hawker Siddeley built the Nimrod from the Comet 4 airliner, replacing the Avon turbojets with Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans and substantially modifying the fuselage. The prototypes XV148 and XV147 were built from two unfinished Comet 4C airframes. [1]
The first flight was on 23 May 1967. The first production aircraft, XV230, entered RAF service at RAF St Mawgan on 2 October 1969. In all, 49 production aircraft were built plus two prototypes. [1] [2]
The Nimrod is 126 ft 9 in (38.63 m) long with a 114 ft 10 in (35.00 m) wingspan, and it weighs 192,000 lb at maximum takeoff. Four Spey turbofans of 12,160 lbf give a maximum speed of 500 kn and a cruise speed of 490 mph. [1]
Its bomb bay holds up to 20,000 lb of torpedoes, depth bombs and other stores. The MR.1 and MR.2 were built primarily for anti-submarine warfare, with anti-surface warfare, maritime surveillance and search and rescue as secondary roles. [1]
The MR.2 patrolled the North Atlantic to monitor Soviet submarines and protect Britain's ballistic missile submarines, and from 1977 it patrolled the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. It carried two US-owned B57 nuclear depth bombs until 1992 and two British WE.177A weapons of about ten kilotons. It also flew search and rescue missions, including the 1979 Fastnet race and the 1980 Alexander L. Kielland disaster. [2] [1]
Nimrods deployed to Ascension Island on 5 April 1982 and flew 111 missions in the Falklands War. XV232 flew a 19 hour 5 minute patrol on 15 May, and another aircraft flew 8,453 miles in a single sortie, the longest flight of the war. Sidewinder missiles were fitted for self-defence. [2] [1]
Five MR.2s operated from Seeb in Oman during the 1991 Gulf War and were credited with helping to sink or damage sixteen Iraqi vessels. In Afghanistan and Iraq the Nimrod gathered intelligence and used its sensors to detect targets for coalition attacks. [2] [1]
On 2 September 2006 a fire warning sounded on XV230 over Helmand province at 11:11, and about six minutes later the aircraft exploded near Kandahar, killing all 14 on board. It was the largest UK military loss in a single event since the Falklands War. The Haddon-Cave review of 28 October 2009 found that 40 percent of the aircraft's hazards had been left open and 30 percent were unclassified. [2] [1]
The R.1 was a signals intelligence version, and the AEW.3 was an airborne early warning conversion whose development was troubled and which was cancelled in December 1986, leading to the RAF buying Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft. The MR.2 was withdrawn on 31 March 2010 and the last R.1 flight was on 28 June 2011 from RAF Waddington. [1]
The MRA.4 was a rebuilt MR.2 with new engines and wings. BAe was selected in July 1996 for 21 aircraft at £2,813 million, with service planned for April 2003, but orders fell to 18, 12 and then nine. The National Audit Office reported a £789 million overrun, 114 months of delay and £3.4 billion spent. The Strategic Defence and Security Review cancelled the programme on 19 October 2010, and the completed aircraft were broken up at Woodford from 26 January 2011. [2] [1]
The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod has a top speed of 500 kn (575 mph / 926 km/h).
A total of 51 were built.
No, the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod has been retired. It retired in 2011-06-28.
The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod first flew on May 23rd 1967.
The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod has a range of 5,180-5,755 mi (8,336-9,262 km, 4,501-5,001 nmi).
Eight Nimrods are preserved on public display in the United Kingdom.
The Nimrod made its last flight in 2011, so it cannot appear on Flightradar24. Preserved aircraft include MR.2s at Bruntingthorpe, the Yorkshire Air Museum, Coventry and Morayvia, and R.1s at RAF Museum Cosford and East Midlands Aeropark.
| Performance | |
| Max Speed | 500 kn (575 mph / 926 km/h) |
|---|---|
| Cruise SpeedCruise Speed — The economical speed an aircraft sustains for the bulk of a flight - lower than maximum speed, chosen for the best balance of time and fuel burn. Glossary → | 490 mph |
| RangeRange — How far an aircraft can fly without refuelling. Quoted figures vary with payload, speed and reserves - see also ferry range and combat radius. Glossary → | 5,180-5,755 mi |
| Service CeilingService Ceiling — The highest altitude at which an aircraft can still climb at a useful rate (typically 100 ft/min). Above it, the air is too thin to keep climbing meaningfully. Glossary → | 44,000 ft |
| Airframe & Weight | |
| Wingspan | 114 ft 10 in |
| Length | 126 ft 9 in |
| Height | 31 ft |
| WeightMTOW — Maximum Take-Off Weight - the heaviest an aircraft is certified to be at the start of its take-off run, including fuel, crew, payload and the aircraft itself. Glossary → | empty: 86,000 lb; MTOW: 192,000 lb |
| Power & Payload | |
| Engines | 4 x Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans, 12,160 lbf (54.1 kN) each |
| ArmamentArmament — The weapons an aircraft can carry: guns, missiles, bombs and rockets, whether mounted internally, on wing hardpoints, or in bomb bays. Glossary → | Up to 20,000 lb in the bomb bay, including torpedoes, depth bombs and, until 1992, two US-owned B57 nuclear depth bombs, later two WE.177A; Sidewinder missiles were fitted for self-defence in the Falklands |
| Crew | 13 |
| CapacityPayload — Everything an aircraft is carrying that isn't the aircraft or its fuel: passengers, cargo, or weapons. Payload and fuel usually trade off against each other. Glossary → | 13,500 lb payload; 85,840 lb of fuel |
| Program & Service | |
| Manufacturer | Hawker Siddeley (later British Aerospace) |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| First Flight | May 23rd 1967 |
| Service Entry | October 2nd 1969 |
| Retired | June 28th 2011 |
| Number Built | 51 |
| Unit Cost | Not publicly disclosed - no per-aircraft price was found for the MR.2; the MRA.4 was contracted at £2,813M for 21 aircraft in 1996 |
5 notable events involving the Nimrod, 1967 to 2010. 21 deaths are recorded across the 2 of these with a figure listed. Curated rather than exhaustive.
The Nimrod prototype, built from an unfinished Comet 4C airframe, made its first flight.
XV232 flew a patrol lasting 19 hours 5 minutes during the Falklands War, from Ascension Island.
A Nimrod crashed into Lake Ontario during the Canadian International Air Show, killing all seven crew.
A fire warning sounded over Helmand province at 11:11, and about six minutes later the aircraft exploded near Kandahar, killing all 14 on board. The Haddon-Cave review followed.
The Strategic Defence and Security Review cancelled the MRA.4 programme, with five aircraft completed and none in service.
| Nimrod MR.1 / MR.2 | The main maritime patrol versions, replacing the Avro Shackleton. Their primary task was anti-submarine warfare, with anti-surface warfare, maritime surveillance and search and rescue as secondary roles. The MR.2 was withdrawn on 31 March 2010, a year earlier than planned, for financial reasons. |
| Nimrod R.1 | A signals intelligence version, with four aircraft in the production table. The last R.1 flight was on 28 June 2011 from RAF Waddington, ending the Nimrod's 42 years in RAF service. |
| Nimrod AEW.3 | An airborne early warning conversion of 11 aircraft with a troubled radar. The programme was cancelled in December 1986, and the RAF received Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft instead. |
| Nimrod MRA.4 | A rebuild of the MR.2 with new engines and a new wing. BAe was selected in July 1996 for 21 aircraft at £2,813 million, and orders fell to 18, 12 and finally nine. Five were completed and none entered service. The Strategic Defence and Security Review cancelled it on 19 October 2010. |
Eight Nimrods are preserved on public display in the United Kingdom.
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