Dear boy are you thinking of the quarry at Aspatria ???. there where in fact six aircraft in there including two tiger moth frames and some ww2 stuff.

Not much of a rumour been there got stuff out went home happy thank you very much.

Indeed it was:

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/ugly-duckling-that-never-really-took-off-1.764371?referrerPath=2.3203

You never know. I believe that one crashed into a swamp, but don’t know if it was recovered at the time.

Bob T.

There are a few photos of Wellesleys crashed in the desert – now they might have been burnt/recovered, or they may not….

If the P38 is between the high water mark and the low water mark then it is owned by the Crown and TIGHAR will need permission from Her Majesty. Unlikely the former Colonials will have the stomach for that.

It’s below the low water mark IIRC, although I believe as it lies within territorial waters it’s a case for the Receiver of Wreck?

I think one of the things that grates with TIGHAR is their attitude.

At the time of Nimrod’s scrapping, the P-1 wasn’t a realistic option due to Japan’s ban on weapons exports. But now that has been lifted, it depends how much of the mission kit they would be prepared to export.

And the P-8 mission kit is base don that proposed for MRA4 if my memory is correct.

The p-8 participated in joint warrior in April 2012 from Lossiemouth so hopefully the mod got a good look at it and some talks about how it performs etc. was the nimrod originally a new build or was it modified from existing comet 4 stocks?

First two converted from Comet airframes, remainder new build

I think it will sink in the uk need a replacement for nimrod when there is a maritime disaster or piper alpha situation with an oil rig.

The need for the capability was recognised, the need for Nimrod was not. there was a little publisiced interview with Liam Fox on Radio Scotland the day after the cancellation where he said that the Govt recognised there was a need for a replacement MPA, but that Nimrod wasn’t the airframe as there was no way of knowing what the eventual cost was, or whether it would be any good. He said that the replacement would be procured when (financial) circumstances allowed. I suspect his spin doctirs got hold of him after that as he never repeated that.

Errr, without wishing to spoil anyone’s day, “Barracuda” is not nor has ever been a BAE proposal. the drawing is, IIRC, a ‘whatif’ proposal done for the What If Modellers forum.

The next UK MP asset is likely to be a UAV/RPV type

The GR.3’s had ferry wing tips kitted but I never saw them used!

The advantage they gave in terms of extending range was negated by the time taken to refit the standard ones, as the ferry ones weren’t combat rated. And you needed a spare C-130 to bring the standard ones!!

It was an FA2 when it was damaged in the fire and it is obviously still an FA2 today (but is missing the pitot tube from its tail).

Reconversion to FRS1 standard would be difficult, I think, as the conversion work to the airframe was more extensive than it looks; I think the fuselage was extended aft of the rear nozzles in addition to the radome extension in front of the cockpit.

And a new kink added to the wing leading edge.

Regarding converting her back to something resembling an FRS1, I wonder what happened to all the Blue Fox radomes when they were converted to FA2s?