UKMIL Nimrod AEW

[ijay]

She may be one of the ugliest aircraft ever made, and this model certainly captures her looks.
Well done Gaffer and all concerned.

Little bit of cropping and colour adjustment in P/shop

[euroastar350]

Is this A/C FSX native or a port-over?

[falcon409]

It does look like maybe early on in the development it had a chance to be a rather striking aircraft design, but then they gave up on that and just went with functional, lol.

[Quixoticish]

It does look like maybe early on in the development it had a chance to be a rather striking aircraft design, but then they gave up on that and just went with functional, lol.

I don't think there was much design thought given to it other than to stick more bits onto the existing Nimrod to be honest.

[Bjoern]

It does look like maybe early on in the development it had a chance to be a rather striking aircraft design, but then they gave up on that and just went with functional, lol.

Well, it's based on the faithful Comet design...which itself wasn't a nominee for the beauty award.

[IanP]

Most people who have described it have said that the Comet was a very attractive aircraft, Bjoern... It does always come down to personal choice, though.

The thing about the Nimrod AEW was that in spite of its drawbacks, the ruddy thing worked and a was a technical marvel. Typically British though, all that made it work was probably some bailing twine, electrical tape and a lump of 2x4. The problem was that it was just going to cost so much to actually finish development on and the Boeing offering was so much cheaper that it was on a hiding to nothing pretty much right from the start.

I mean apart from us weird types in the soggy isles, who else would serious try and link two radars together to provide a single scan... Anyone? Seriously?

[calypsos]

That project cost the UK taxpayers almost as much as those retched 'wide boy, selfish bankers in the City did. A pile of dog's doo, both of them turned out to be, the Nimrod radar could get confused between incoming Russian jets and trucks driving along the M6 motorway!!!!

[Roger]

I heard a story that the intercom was based on a design in "Practical Wireless" magazine using 741 op amps.:isadizzy:

[Bjoern]

Most people who have described it have said that the Comet was a very attractive aircraft, Bjoern...

Most people are wrong anyways.


(I have a really hard time finding most british designs beautiful. If you say "Spitfire" now I'll spend thousands of Euros and hours to invent a device for poking you in the eye through the internet just for that. x( :d)

[IanP]

Hawker Hunter. And you're just biased, anyway. :P

Any yes calypsos, but there's an enduring urban legend that the USAF rapidly hushed up one of the Nimrod testbeds happily tracking a supposedly undetectable stealth demonstration flight for several hundred miles.

Whether it's true or not I don't know, but it's a good story. :d

[michael davies]

trucks driving along the M6 motorway!!!!

Oddly I recal reading somewhere that the Americans spent a lot of money on inventing a system to do just that, I believe J Stars is designed to do just that, track ground vehicles ?.

[Lewis-A2A]

Hawker Hunter. And you're just biased, anyway. :P

Any yes calypsos, but there's an enduring urban legend that the USAF rapidly hushed up one of the Nimrod testbeds happily tracking a supposedly undetectable stealth demonstration flight for several hundred miles.

Whether it's true or not I don't know, but it's a good story. :d

ive yet to meet a service guy that didnt have a laugh about that one, something along the lines of 'hey whats that?' 'Get the f&^% out of our airspace now'

[Bjoern]

Hawker Hunter.

Borderline.

Tempest II, TSR, Vanguard, EAP, (Tonka), (Jag) are better, my favourite being the EAP.

Oddly I recal reading somewhere that the Americans spent a lot of money on inventing a system to do just that, I believe J Stars is designed to do just that, track ground vehicles ?.

Yep.

[IanP]

It's the "being able to tell the difference" bit that was the problem. However, it probably wouldn't have taken much to make that work, in reality.

On the other hand, those Nimrod airframes are now seriously way past their should-have-been-retired-by-now date, whether you love them, loathe them or are utterly indifferent about them. Although the same could be said for the B707, could it not?

[Matt Wynn]

lets not forget the Brabazon Ian, that was a beauty, ok british designs that are beautiful... Harrier, Hawk..

i'm one of the strange few who finds the Nimrod an attractive airframe,

[peter12213]

So am I, I think its a lovely aircraft I even like the AEW version, and I find the Comet just gorgeous too!

[SkippyBing]

Although the same could be said for the B707, could it not?

I don't know, I think the last 707 airframes produced were for the UK E-3 fleet so they're certainly a lot newer than even the shinest of the Nimrods.

[centuryseries]

And no-one mentions Vulcan?!! Surely thats a beautiful design too? :ernae:

[d0mokun]

I see your Vulcan and raise you a Victor, good sir.

[IanP]

Never liked the Victor. The front end looks silly. Like a 1920s cartoon spaceship.

The Valiant was quite nice, though. Vulcan...? Impressive. I wouldn't say beautiful, but exceptionally striking and impressive.

[Roger]

To me the Vulcan is as beautiful and impressive as the Lancaster. I remember seeing maybe 20 of them passing overhead in 82, bound for Avro Woodford (just up the road) for bomb rack modifications for the Stanley mission.

[peter12213]

Victor, Valiant and Vulcan I personally loved them all and Roger that must have been a sight to behold mate!:salute:

[Tweek]

Nimrods are lovely old things. Elegant shape, loud, and smoky as hell (gotta love the Spey). Vulcans, Victors, Jaguars, Hunters - also lovely!

[Quixoticish]

Never liked the Victor. The front end looks silly. Like a 1920s cartoon spaceship.

Whilst I wouldn't describe it's delightful avant-garde stylings as a "1920's cartoon spaceship" it certainly has a healthy dose of retro-futurism about it, it wouldn't look out of place in Flash Gordon.

And that is precisely why I love it so.

[spotlope]

I think the Comet is one of the most graceful tubeliners to ever take wing. The only thing that holds it back a bit is the old-school tail, but that's part of its charm as well. Then again, I was raised in an Anglophile household by a Jag-loving father.

This bird? Looks like a Comet that's developed some rather advanced tumors. I hope the surgery goes well...