Anigrand Craftswork ANIG4050 1:144 BAe Nimrod AEW.3

BAe Nimrod AEW.3. Includes BONUS aircraft of the Hawker P.1121, Fairey Gannet AEW.3, Cierva W.11 Air Horse. In 1973, the RAF had begun to examine the options for replacing the Airborne Early Warning (AEW) variant of the Avro Shackleton. Boeing offered the E-3A Sentry, but the over water performance of its radar was judged to be poor. It was announced that a specialized version of the Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod, the AEW.3 would be procured instead. The aircraft would be based on the Nimrod MR.1 airframe but featured a large bulbous radome in the nose and tail. The first AEW.3 flew in 1980. While development of the radar electronics was proceeding, the Ministry of Defence chose to impose a new and more stringent specification on the radar system. Meeting t he new requirement meant a lot of redesign and retesting which delayed the planned in-service date for the aircraft. In 1984 a thorough review of the whole AEW programme was launched to determine whether a reliable and effective system could be produced and put into service. In September 1986 the AEW requirement was reopened to competing bidders and in December of that year the Boeing E-3 Sentry was declared the winner. The Nimrod AEW.3 was immediately cancelled.