This Day in Aviation History
May 23rd, 1967
First flight of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod.
 
The Hawker Siddeley Nimrod was a maritime patrol aircraft developed and operated by the United Kingdom. It is an extensive modification of the de Havilland Comet, the world’s first operational jet airliner. It was originally designed by de Havilland’s successor firm, Hawker Siddeley; further development and maintenance work was undertaken by Hawker Siddeley’s own successor companies, British Aerospace and BAE Systems, respectively.
 
Designed in response to a requirement issued by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to replace its fleet of aging Avro Shackletons, the Nimrod MR1/MR2s were primarily fixed-wing aerial platforms for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations; secondary roles included maritime surveillance and anti-surface warfare. It served from the early 1970s until March 2010. The intended replacement was to be extensively rebuilt Nimrod MR2s, designated as Nimrod MRA4; however due to considerable delays, repeated cost overruns, and financial cutbacks, the development of the MRA4 was abandoned in 2010….
 
Source:
 Wikipedia, Hawker Siddeley Nimrod: http://gstv.us/1FELCD9
 
YouTube, RAF Nimrod: A Mighty Hunter: http://gstv.us/1FEMRlA
 
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Photo from: http://gstv.us/2qJgSAa
 
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