why don't they leave the booms on the RIVET JOINTS so they can refuel each other? Nothing else in the UK fleet will be able to refuel them
As for the Nimrod age - weren't many of the fuselage / wing parts long-lead-time left overs / spares from when the Comet 4 production line closed? That would date some of the parts (if not the complete airframes) from the late 1950's