Nimrod 'The Mighty Hunter'

He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord." Genesis 10:9

Recognising the need to remain at the forefront of maritime warfare technology, the RAF realised that the Nimrod required updating if it was to remain a viable weapons platform until the end of the century. On the 23 August 1979, the first Nimrod Mk2, XV 236 was transferred to RAF Kinloss having emerged from the British Aerospace factory at Woodford following conversion. The vast majority of the conversion from Mk1 to Mk2 involved a major refit of the navigational and attack systems. The ASV Mk 21 radar was replaced by the Searchwater radar representing a quantum leap in surface search and surveillance technology. Even today, some 15 years on, Searchwater remains one of, if not the most capable maritime search radar available. The underwater detection capability if the Nimrod was also significantly enhanced with the introduction of a completely new acoustic monitoring system. Major modifications to the Tactical Navigation systems were also undertaken. Overall, the upgrade of four main computers employed to manage the sensors resulted in a fiftyfold increase in the computing power of the MK1, as compared with the Mk2.

To provide adequate cooling for the large increase in electronic equipment fitted within the aircraft, it was necessary to supplement the existing duplicated cabin conditioning systems. A third conditioning system was installed in the rear fuselage, aft of the pressure hull. This gave rise to probably the most external feature of the Nimrod Mk2; a large pitot style air intake fitted to the port fuselage slightly forward of the fin.