- quality handcrafted wooden model military airplanes -
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military airplanes -
Nimrod MR2, RAF
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Scale 1:88 Length 17.3" Wingspan 17.3"
Photography by Action Asia Photo
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Built by British Aerospace in the United Kingdom, 18 earlier Nimrod MR2 are now being upgraded to the new Nimrod MRA4 specification which includes improved mission, sensor and avionics systems. With the first test aircraft having been rolled out in August of 2002, the Maritime Reconnaissance and Attack aircraft is currently under going performance evaluation. First flight of the PA1 aircraft (which has no mission system fitted) is scheduled for mid-2004. The PA2 (with fully fitted mission system) is planned to fly in late 2004. The third development aircraft will enter the flight test program in 2005 and the new aircraft should enter service by 2009. The main roles of Nimrod MRA4 are maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface unit warfare, and Search & Rescue. Boeing Company of Seattle is responsible for the tactical command system while the upgrading of the earlier MR2 aircraft involves an extensive reconstruction using various contractors. The new wings are being built at BAE Systems in Chadderton; the all-glass cockpit features many of the systems found in airliners built by the Airbus Industrie consortium; and the Stores and Utility Management Systems are from Smiths Industries. The aircraft has a weapons bay with side opening doors at the bottom of the fuselage which can carry fuel tanks, torpedoes (including the Tigerfish) and sonobuoys. Ultra Electronics are developing an improved version of the passive localization Barra sonobuoys with digital signal processing. Meanwhile, the new wings have two additional hardpoints each providing eight weapons pylons for the carriage of Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles (from Lockheed Martin and Raytheon). The Nimrod uses a "Search Water 2000MR" multi-mode pulse Doppler search radar (from Thales Defence) and an under the nose, turret-mounted electro-optical surveillance and detection system supplied by Northrop Grumman. The aircraft is also equipped with a radar warning receiver, an Elta electronic support measures system and a magnetic anomaly detector system. The Nimrod's Navigation and Flight Management System (from Smiths Industries) is the most modern possible and provides laser inertial navigation, global positioning, radio navigation, microwave landing, and collision avoidance. For at least the third time in their history, all British military MR2 Nimrods were temporarily grounded on February 23, 2007 after a routine safety check uncovered a dent in a fuel pipe. Even though some aircraft have already be certified airworthy, the fleet shall remain grounded while the issue is investigated. Crew: |
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