Nimrod MRA4 Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft

[The Sailor]

In July 2006, the UK MOD awarded the production contract for 12 Nimrod MRA4 aircraft. Delivery of the first production aircraft is planned for 2009. The scheduled in-service date is 2010 and deliveries are scheduled to complete in 2012. The aircraft will be based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland.

The main roles of Nimrod MRA4 are maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface unit warfare and search and rescue

WEAPONS
BAE Systems is collaborating with Boeing to develop the Nimrod MRA4 Tactical Command System, a variant of the Boeing TMS-2000, as the heart of the overall mission system. Nimrod's tactical crew will operate seven reconfigurable operator workstations each with large high-resolution multi-function colour display screens.

"Nimrod MRA4 roles include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface unit warfare, and search and rescue missions."Nimrod MRA4 is equipped with a stores management system from Smiths Industries which carries out inventory tracking and control, air-to-air and air-to-sea weapon control, and built-in test and fault diagnostics.

The aircraft has a weapons bay with side opening doors at the bottom of the fuselage which can carry fuel tanks, torpedoes (including the BAE Systems Stingray lightweight anti-submarine torpedo) and sonobuoys. Ultra Electronics are developing an improved version of the passive localisation Barra sonobuoy with digital signal processing.

The new wing has two additional hardpoints, providing four weapons pylons for the carriage of Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles or AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Sidewinder is an all-aspect short-range missile with maximum speed over Mach 2, for defence against hostile aircraft. The AGM-84 is the air-launched version of the all weather anti-ship Harpoon missile, with a range over 50 nautical miles and a high subsonic speed.

SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer and Prime Contractor British Aerospace
Dimensions
Overall Length 126ft 9in
Wingspan 127ft
Overall Height 30ft
Wing Area 2,538ft²
Weights
Maximum Take-Off Weight 231,165lb
Empty Weight 102,516lb
Maximum Warload In excess of 12,000lb
Engines
Powerplant BMW Rolls-Royce BR710
Performance
Maximum Speed Mach 0.77
Service Ceiling 42,000ft
Range Unrefuelled In excess of 6,000nm

[warshipdisposal]

Amazing what they can do with a comet, although the flight deck has lost all resonance of the comet, those airframes must be nearly forty years old....

[davep]

i think they have zero lifed the airframes and then fitted them with new wings to take the more modern engines

[Taffsparks]

Living in Blackpool, with BAE Warton works just down the road, have over the last few days seen a Nimrod carry out a few low passes down the Prom, could be the new mod'ed one being tested. Still looks impressive !

[ivorthediver]

Good reading "Sailor" be great to see this much under rated aircraft back in the skies again....she has far exceeded her designed life when you think of her origin , and it is a part of what used to be called " GREAT BRITAIN", having said that its so good that she will be brought back to modern day standard's

Regards Ivor

[stewart mcloughlin]

And living across the river from BAe Warton and 'Taffspark', it is remarkable how quite they are when they fly over our house, compared to those Eurofighters and Harriers. What a noisy bunch they are.
Stewart

[mik43]

But will the fly-boys actually end up getting all 12..........!!!!!!

Mik

[Linton]

I think I read somewhere(it was probably on PPRUNE) that the order was probably going to be cut to 8.

[Mitch Hinde]

I think I read somewhere(it was probably on PPRUNE) that the order was probably going to be cut to 8.

Hi

Make that ZERO. As of now they are being ripped apart by JCB's in the biggest act of vandalism/criminal damage ever perpetrated.

Mitch Hinde:eek::eek::eek::confused:

[ivorthediver]

what a Bloody waste of money:mad:

[Vegaskip]

This is Lunacy, I'm only a thick old Aircraft Handler, and maybe I don't know anything about Defence Policies and strategic planning and 'stuff', but surerly these a/c were doing their designed job, as well as the humanitarian side as in search and rescue, Maritime Survielance, etc.
Just as a matter of interest, can anyone tell me how many Main Battle Tanks and support fascilities we have, and where their likely operational use is likely to be, and from which country we will be able to borrow air cover and fuel for them.
End of 'Grump', don't mind me.
Jim

[ivorthediver]

This is Lunacy, I'm only a thick old Aircraft Handler, and maybe I don't know anything about Defence Policies and strategic planning and 'stuff', but surerly these a/c were doing their designed job, as well as the humanitarian side as in search and rescue, Maritime Survielance, etc.
Just as a matter of interest, can anyone tell me how many Main Battle Tanks and support fascilities we have, and where their likely operational use is likely to be, and from which country we will be able to borrow air cover and fuel for them.
End of 'Grump', don't mind me.
Jim

Jim I couldn't agree with you more ....wherever they come from the cost will be greater and the ownership suspect:mad:

[davep]

Even better news the RAF is buying 3 rc135 rivet joints, basically a Boeing 707 with fiscal year 64 serial numbers. These were originally tankers but we are paying to convert them to rivet joint standard for elint and intel gathering to replace the nimrod r1. Yet we had these new nimrod airframes we could of put the same gear in to do the same job.

[Mitch Hinde]

This is Lunacy, I'm only a thick old Aircraft Handler, and maybe I don't know anything about Defence Policies and strategic planning and 'stuff', but surerly these a/c were doing their designed job, as well as the humanitarian side as in search and rescue, Maritime Survielance, etc.
Just as a matter of interest, can anyone tell me how many Main Battle Tanks and support fascilities we have, and where their likely operational use is likely to be, and from which country we will be able to borrow air cover and fuel for them.
End of 'Grump', don't mind me.
Jim

Hi Jim

Recent reports in the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph seem to indicate the number of main battle tanks will be reduced by a half and the Tornado fleet to 60. Which will save any potential enemy the trouble of destroying them as there will be no intelligence gathering or surveillance aircraft to come to their aid.

Mitch Hinde:eek::eek: