Chorlton, Martyn The Nimrod

With its roots dating back to the late 1940s and the de Havilland Comet airliner, the Nimrod already had pedigree when it first appeared in the late 1960s in place of the Avro Shackleton in the Maritime Reconnaissance role. Fewer than fifty were built for the RAF, the type being steadily upgraded throughout its career right up to its retirement in 2011. Compared to the Shackleton, the Nimrod brought comfort and reliability to its multi-role long-range activities, including anti-submarine warfare, maritime surveillance and anti-surface warfare. The Nimrod saw action during the Falklands War, the Gulf Wars, Afghanistan and a continued contribution (since 1977) to Operation Tapestry the protection of the UKs Sovereign Sea Areas. Specialist versions of the Nimrod also served in the signals intelligence role while other attempted developments failed, such as the Airborne Early Warning role and the final, costly MRA.4 versions, neither of which entered RAF service. This book tells the story of this remarkable aircraft.

Compared to the "Shackleton", the "Nimrod" brought more comfort and reliability to the multi-faceted task of long-range reconnaissance, which also included combating enemy submarines, monitoring sea lanes and supporting operations on the ground. The "Nimrod" was deployed in the Falklands War, in both Gulf Wars and in Afghanistan, among others, and has been taking part in Operation Tapestry since 1977, which serves to protect British sea areas around the globe. Specialised versions of the Nimrod also served as reconnaissance aircraft for the Signal Corps, while other developments failed, such as its role as an airborne early warning system or the extremely costly MRA.4 versions, none of which were accepted into RAF service. This book tells the story of this remarkable aircraft.