Originally Posted by
BEagle
The hideously ugly Nimrod AEW3 had a probe also, but no vertical surfaces on the tailplane.
My FHT on the VC10K course included a Nimrod AEW3 as one of the receivers during the AAR element of the test on 5 Nov 1984. Watching that thing trying to prod was a giggle a minute!
The larger nose and tail cross sections of the Nimrod AEW3 actually improved the aircraft handling and the aircraft did not Dutch role like the maritime version (so I was told by the flight deck). It had to have something go for it - however small!