The Nimrod won the competition for a new maritime patrol aircraft against contenders such as the military Lockheed P-3 Orion or the Breguet Atlantic, along with several civilian derivatives such as the Hawker Siddeley Trident or the Victor VC.10.Two prototype aircrafts were manufactured. One of them carried Rolls Royce Spey engines and was used to integrate them with the airframe. The other prototype kept the original Comet 4C‘s engines and was used to develope avionics and electronic equipment.The main mission of Nimrod was anti-submarine warfare, a vital task for a country like the UK. Maritime patrol and combat against surface ships were secondary tasks for which the Nimrod proved to be fully prepared.The main weapons of Nimrod consisted of torpedoes such as the Stingray and bombs and depth charges. Nonetheless, they can also use Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Sidewinder missiles for self-defense against other aircrafts.The Nimrod MR.1 served mainly with long-range maritime patrol squadrons No’s 120, 201 and 206 based in Kinloss, northern Scotland. The 42 Squadron based in St Mawgan, Cornwall, was the other unit of the RAF that used them as part of its strategic defenses.
