The Nimrod replacement P-8 or RC-135?

[GeorgeC]

All info freely available from open sources...

Yes, probably so, but most of us spend our spare time modelling, unless we're digging into the aforementioned 'open sources' to find gaps that we can fill in with our models and backstories.......

Sorry, I added that because I have access to a lot of material in a professional capacity.

[PR19_Kit]

One completely new bit of kit on the MRA4 was the main landing gear.

Messier-Dowty said that there was no way they could upgrade the old ex-Comet 4C parts as they'd already been 'upgraded' twice! The new stuff was tested at Staverton on a monster test righ that I installed and it was pretty darned impressive. 

The main forgings, monster blocks of titanium I think, were deliberately left outside for a YEAR before they did any machining work on them so that the internal forging stresses would work themselves out. They were a very funny shape at the end of the year!

[Weaver]

One completely new bit of kit on the MRA4 was the main landing gear.

Messier-Dowty said that there was no way they could upgrade the old ex-Comet 4C parts as they'd already been 'upgraded' twice! The new stuff was tested at Staverton on a monster test righ that I installed and it was pretty darned impressive. 

The main forgings, monster blocks of titanium I think, were deliberately left outside for a YEAR before they did any machining work on them so that the internal forging stresses would work themselves out. They were a very funny shape at the end of the year!

Yes I well remember them - very impressive bits of kit! 

Another equally impressive structure to be seen at Woodford was RJ/146 main undercarriage. Very serious lump of metal and an intricate fold mechanism: more akin to a Jaguar that the usual airliner style gear.

[rickshaw]

Does anybody know of any good drawings of the P-7?  How hard would it be to convert a P-3 to one do you think?

[Thorvic]

Does anybody know of any good drawings of the P-7?  How hard would it be to convert a P-3 to one do you think?

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,300.msg74125.html#msg74125

Structure wise it looks to be engines & Prop much easier than trying to do an MRA-4 conversion

[Aircav]

There may not be a Nimrod replacement from what was said yesterday about the UK using other European Nations assets.

[Thorvic]

There may not be a Nimrod replacement from what was said yesterday about the UK using other European Nations assets.

I think thats one for 2015 SDSR, there is some talk about an E-3 style NATO MPA solution of pooled resources, but most NATO MPA are pretty old & tired so they will need to get new aircraft at some stage, although as we have none to contibute and most others are cutting back their forces it may be seen as more a way to share whats left in service.
Plus of course our interests extend beyond European waters which may prove to be the deciding factor.

[Howard of Effingham]

Isn't it strange that their ministerial limousines never get cancelled...

mildly OT, but i heard on the BBC world service last week that the president of malawi is giving up her
presidential jet and travelling via ordinary scheduled flights.

[Scooterman]

Does anybody know of any good drawings of the P-7?  How hard would it be to convert a P-3 to one do you think?

been there, done that.  Fuselage is just about the same (a bit shorter due to the MAD removal IIRC?) and a 4' insert in each wing, between the fuselage and inboard engine.  When myself and Roger the Cabin Boy built ours in 1/72, we added said wing stretch with cardstock and milliput, and used C-130J props over some milliput and plastic bits skinned kit motors to reflect the new Allison jobs....

[McColm]

Wow!!
I stretched the fuselage on my P-3 and added the JSTARS pod to it. Filled in the sonorbouy tubes and used some of the areails from a EC-135 Looking Glass kit.