How many Nimrods?

[Jackonicko]

Reports into the latest grounding talk about a "23 aircraft Nimrod fleet".

Others talk about 15 Nimrods being based at Kinloss, though under NISC 2 aren't there supposed to be 16, to generate 10?

(See http://www.baesystems.com/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2005/press_1306200513.html)

The Fighting 51st obviously have three, and a spare MR2. (Are they actually flying XV246, or is it literally a spare?)

Or are we still midway between NISC 1 (21 to generate 12) and NISC 2, and are we talking about 15 at Kinloss, four deployed (seems more than you'd expect) and the Waddington aircraft, which would add up to 23?

[MooseJaw]

Jackonicko,

OK total numbers, even NISC and BAe news clips fine.

But seeking numbers on currently deployed, Ops adequacy and inviting comment on Waddington Ops...... seriously, you are joking?:rolleyes:

[Aeronut]

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: every time.

Jackobeadwindow more like.

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Not his first and I doubt his last attempt at this :}

[Jackonicko]

Don't be so silly. A total number that makes sense is all that I need.

I'm not inviting comment on 'ops adequacy'.

I'm not inviting comments on Waddington ops - only a clarification of numbers (which have never been secret, even in Wyton days, when the unit wasn't a regular at air shows, and when photos of the interior weren't routinely published in books prepared by a DCC Wing Commander!). Eg whether the non-operationally equipped, bog-standard MR.Mk 2 is flown for front crew continuation training/squadron hack duties, or whether it's just there to be converted if required to cover a loss/grounding of one of the three R1s.

And though I mentioned a number deployed I'm happy with a combined MR2 fleet total.

Having checked through open sources, for anyone else puzzled by the 23-aircraft total, the situation is:

Kinloss (including deployed): 15 MR.Mk 2. (16th required under NISC 2 not (yet?) replaced)

Waddington: 3 R.Mk 1, 1 MR.Mk 2. (status of XV246 unknown to me, though it looked pretty good, badged up and live, in photos taken at the last Waddington air show).

[enginesuck]

There may have been 23 but with a fair few of them being converted to MRA4 at the moment I think thats where the discrepancies lay.

[reddeathdrinker]

You can find out at http://www.targetlock.org.uk/nimrod/production.html what the state of the fleet is, although, I must admit, it's not 100% accurate, but it will give you a good idea.

[dakkg651]

There is a Nimrod I airworthy at Duxford with a MkII due to fly soon I believe.

[J.A.F.O.]

Q. How many Nimrods?

A. What the f**k has it got to do with you?

[Jackonicko]

Reddeath,

That is a sad, spotterish, but useful table.

It has one too many aircraft assigned to Kinloss, (XV226, 228, 229, 231, 232, 235, 236, 240, 241, 244, 248, 250, 252, 254, 255, and 260) presumably it doesn't take account of the most recent loss to the MRA.Mk 4 programme (which has already taken XV227, 233, 234, 242, 243, 245, 247, 251, 253 258 and 284, and which thus needs only one more!) which I'm guessing is XV228.

The number of low-time aircraft taken out of the fleet by the AEW3 programme is quite shocking.

JAFO,
Taxpayer and nosey parker mate. Just wanted to get my head around the subject having been puzzled by reports of a 23 aircraft fleet. Happy to know that it's 19, as I'd have guesstimated 'about 20'.

[GeeRam]

There is a Nimrod I airworthy at Duxford with a MkII due to fly soon I believe.
:rolleyes:

However, the state things are in at present....:mad:

[Tappers Dad]

I found it interesting that Four MR.2s were scrapped in the early 1990s as corrosion took its toll.That was 10-16 years ago !!!

[False Capture]

From looking at reddeathdrinker's link, I never realised there were eleven AEW Mk.3 Nimrods.

When you consider there are about twenty remaining Nimrods, in hindsight the AEW3 program was a waste of eleven airframes as they were all scrapped.

[TheGorrilla]

Crickey, i've seen younger tiger moths floating around. Isn't it about time these relics were confined to the museums?? :E :E :E BL@@dy military equivalent of the Comet..... Even the trident has long gone!

[Roadster280]

Why not put new wings and engines on a few of the remaining ones and refit them with new mission kit? Shouldn't be too expensive. Oh wait a minute....