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In
early 1960s,
the British Air Ministry issued a request for a more modern and powerful
naval reconnaissance plane to replace the aging Avro Shackletons which
was designed in the World War Two-era.
Hawker Siddeley responded
with a Nimrod design that the aircraft was modified from the existing de
Havilland Comet airliner. In 1964, the contract for two prototypes and
38 production aircrafts was awarded.
The first Nimrod prototype made its first flight in 1967, it became the
world's first jet-powered maritime patrol aircraft. The production
aircraft MR.1 was started immediately. It started to join the
Shackletons in 1969. After improvements with electronic suite, provision
for in-flight refueling and wingtips ESM pods, the MR.2 entered service
in 1975. The upgraded MR.2 extended range enables to monitor maritime
areas far into the Western Atlantic. In 1992, the RAF started a MRA.4
program to replace the MR.2 but the aircraft have not yet entered
service due to the development delay.
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