What Party animal just said ... the Nimrod MRA Mark 4 was scrapped not the role.
Our esteemed CAS (?) said to us all at Kinloss days after the scrapping announcement
"it's just the aircraft that has been scrapped, the role is extant."
Although this thread is about a new kite, the real struggle is going to be to get enough trained crews ready to resume the role.
The recent RAF recruitment ad may be an indication of this ... on the other hand it may just be a 'cut and paste' error. We will still need people in the back of the new Chinooks we are going to get post 2015 to transport soldiers we no longer have to places we no longer want to go to.