The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017 69Nimrod from success to caNcellatioN
take-off. It had been hoped to use the
same profile fore and aft, but the
pointed shape of the forward radome
had evolved to meet aerodynamic, bird
strike and rain-erosion constraints and
led to unsteady flow breakaway over a
similarly shaped aft radome. As a result, a
separate, more rounded profile was
developed. Mounting the existing fin
above the contours of the new rear
fuselage improved the directional
stability of Nimrod AEW in contrast to
the other marks. As the bomb bay was
not needed, its space was used for
additional fuel tanks which could
operate as heat exchangers for all the
electronic equipment. The additional
fuel carried naturally improved the
aircraft’s range.
A former BOAC Comet 4 originally
bought by the MoD for radio trials work in
mid-1972 registered XW826, was
delivered to Woodford as development
aircraft. It flew in June 1977 but was only
partly representative of the projected
aircraft as it only had the forward radar
antenna installed.
British Aerospace’s role was confined
to providing the airframe, Marconi-Elliott
Avionics’ was to supply the radar and AEW
systems which were designed from the
outset to work over land and water. It had
automatic initiation and tracking of
targets down to small boats. The data
system could be linked to ships, fighters,
ground stations, tankers or other AEW
aircraft. But neither contractor was in total
control of the project. The Royal Air Force
requirement was for eleven aircraft but no
new airframes were built. Instead they
came from the aircraft withdrawn from
Malta by 1979 and from the eight extra
aircraft ordered for employment reasons
in 1973 and which had been in limbo at
Woodford for many months. The
conversion work involved an entirely new
aft fuselage and a repositioned,
heightened tail.
The first of three development AEW3s,
XZ286 flew on 16 July 1980 and following
the other two development aircraft, first
production aircraft XZ285 flew in
December 1981 but it did not have a fullyfunctioning radar system. Four more
AEW3s were completed but by then the
whole project was running late and costs
were rising steeply.Nimrod AEW3 Cancelled
The project was cancelled on 18
December 1986. The RAF stated the radar
and AEW systems were not functioning
adequately and it was unclear as to when
they would work. However it was a very
complex programme and the fact it was
running late was unsurprising. There are
some who argue that had the Nimrod
AEW3 XV263.
(BAE SYSTEMS) XW626 was a
former BOAC Comet
4 that was
converted to carry
the nose radome of
the Nimrod AEW3. It
made its first flight
in this configuration
in June 1977.
(BAE SYSTEMS)