Hawker Siddeley Nimrod
Thunder & Lightnings

Hawker Siddeley Nimrod

Cush became the father of Nimrod; he was the first on Earth to become a mighty warrior.
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord

- Genesis 10:8-9

The world's foremost maritime patrol aircraft, born of the word's first commercial jet airliner, had a long and distinguished career with the RAF, keeping tabs on the Soviet submarine threat throughout the entire Cold War and serving with distinction for more than 40 years. Also an elegant airshow performer, it's 4 Speys guaranteed a noisy experience and with its searchlight cutting through typical British airshow gloom and a final climb-out spewing flares, it was easy to imagine the relief that those in peril on the sea would have felt when the Mighty Hunter found them - and, conversely, the fear of any enemy submarine crew!

Sadly the type's history is marred by two major failed projects to build upgraded versions, and design flaws that exposed the worst aspects of UK defence procurement and how the forces respond to deep cuts in funding and manning.

Read on for the history of the Nimrod.