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Taken from http://key.aero/view_news.asp?ID=3430&t ... n=military
Nimrod R1 bows out
On Tuesday June 28, 2011 Royal Air Force Nimrod R1 XV249 made its final operational flight from RAF Waddington.
Jerry Gunner - 29-Jun-2011
Nimrod R1 XW665 which was retired on October 27, 2010 when the drawdown on the type began.
In a ceremony attended by Chief of the Air Staff Sir Stephen Dalton the RAF commemorated the final official flight of the Nimrod aircraft; the end of 37 years of sterling service.
Nimrod R1 XV249 lifted from the runway at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, the home of it and its operator 51 Squadron and at 1100am local time made a flypast over the aerodrome. The type’s official out of service date is June 30.
Only two Nimrod R1s remained in service, the other major version of the type, the Nimrod Maritime Reconnaissance variant was withdrawn from use in 2010 and the projected replacement for that variant, the Nimrod MRA4 was scrapped at the 11th hour, weeks before introduction into service to save money.
The retirement leaves a gap in capability which is intended to be largely filled by three RC-135V ‘Rivet Joints’ purchased from the United States but these platforms are at least 30 months from delivery and in the meantime the United Kingdom’s capability to generate its own Signals Intelligence will be severely reduced.
Nimrod R1 XW664 is scheduled for delivery to the East Midlands Aeropark with XV249 finding a new home at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford.
This seems a little perverse as XW664 is one of the original three Nimrod R1s built as such from the outset whilst XV249 is a converted maritime reconnaissance aircraft making 664 the more significant airframe.
Wherever they go it is good to know that two of this important type, the last link with the world’s first commercial jet-powered airliner the Comet, will be accorded a retirement fitting their historical importance.
It is surprising however that at the time of writing Whitehall Mandarins had still not allowed the Nimrod the opportunity to perform at its home base at the RAF’s premier air show this coming weekend. Now that would have been a way to bow out in style!
Jerry Gunner
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