I found these photos in amongst some rejects I had stashed away. They obviously didn’t project very well when I was sorting but I could never bring myself to throw any away. Just as well because a good scanner and some Photoshop has mad them just about acceptable.
The film is a bit grainy as it was 1980 Farnborough and it rained nearly all the time that year so I needed to use ektachrome 400 and it wasn’t very good back then.
You could almost call this version of the Nimrod the porcupine with all the aerials sticking out. Hope these are of interest to someone.
By: GlynRamsden - 24th August 2005 at 20:53
I believe 11 nimrods were converted to AEW3 airframes.
XV259 BU Abingdon nose is at Solway Museum
XV261 BU Lyneham
XV262 BU Abingdon
XV263 BU Finningley nose is at Warton
XZ280 BU Abingdon
XZ281 BU Abingdon
XZ282 BU Elgin
XZ283 BU Abingdon
XZ285 BU Abingdon
XZ286 BU Abingdon rear fuselage at Kinloss
XZ287 is at Stafford
As for appearing at air shows, it appeared at Farnboro no doubt to show off our superb AEW aircraft.
Glyn
By: Avro's Finest - 22nd August 2005 at 23:12
I thought the HISTORIC Nimrod had a Kestrel engine.
You clever boy…………
AF (Ex BBMF)
By: Hi-Octain - 22nd August 2005 at 23:08
I thought the HISTORIC Nimrod had a Kestrel engine.
By: TempestNut - 22nd August 2005 at 13:17
I remember the AEW Nimrod doing airshows around that time – seems strange to think that a test/prototype aircraft was allowed to do airshows?? (I know this was done alot in the past but these days you dont see it happening)
It may have had something to do with showing us that the money was not going down a black hole, and that actual aircraft were flying. 😡 😡 😡
By the way, were any fitted out with the complete radar fit, or were they all just airframes? I had another look at the slide mounts and I had marked two of the shots as Biggin Hill and the two with the dark clouds as Farnborough.
By: richb - 22nd August 2005 at 11:16
I remember the AEW Nimrod doing airshows around that time – seems strange to think that a test/prototype aircraft was allowed to do airshows?? (I know this was done alot in the past but these days you dont see it happening)
By: mike currill - 22nd August 2005 at 08:14
there is what is left of an aew nimrod at solway aircraft museum. but the first prototype pictured was scrapped at abinhdon.
I think a total of three or four were scrapped at Abingdon as I remember them sat around the airfield whenever I drove past in the early 90’s
By: andyxh558 - 21st August 2005 at 23:43
there is what is left of an aew nimrod at solway aircraft museum. but the first prototype pictured was scrapped at abinhdon.
By: dragline - 21st August 2005 at 19:34
the aircraft in the pic s finish its day s at raf finningley as a ground intructional airframe i believe . dragline
By: J31/32 - 21st August 2005 at 17:34
Afternoon.
Am I right in thinking there’s a substantially complete AEW3 at RAF Stafford?
J man
By: David Burke - 21st August 2005 at 11:35
The fuselage section at Aeroventure is from Nimrod R.1 XV666 which was ditched following engine problems. The Solway group has a AEW forward fuselage section.
By: Rlangham - 21st August 2005 at 11:26
Yeah thats the cancelled one, i believe the forward fuselage section is at Aeroventure in Doncaster.
By: DJ Jay - 21st August 2005 at 02:00
they are certainly cool.
Is that the AEW version wot got cancelled?
Jay
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August 21, 2005 at 1:50 am