Nimrod Rise & Fall

by Tony Blackman

The scrapping of the Nimrod program has been one of the most controversial events in the military aviation world for many a year. For most of its operational life, from 1969 to date, its contribution to the defense of the realm and its role in offensive duties was, of necessity, often shrouded in secrecy. It was the 'eye in the sky' which was absolutely vital to a host of activities - from anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, to support of land battles throughout the world, to the Falklands campaign, to combating drug-running, the Nimrod's unsung role was paramount.

And now the UK is bereft of such a multi-tasking reconnaissance aircraft. The full story of the Nimrod, and its significance, now needs to be told. Tony Blackman, who was there at the beginning, test-flew nearly every aircraft and was at Kinloss on the very day the project was canceled, has written this timely book, Nimrod Rise and Fall, covering every facet of its history, its weapons system developments and its tragic accidents. He writes in an approachable way, making technical subjects understandable but his conclusions will, inevitably, not be welcomed by everyone.

Genres: Military Fiction

Hardcover

First published December 1, 2011

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed Vulcan Test Pilot, so I was quite excited to get my hands on another aviation title by Tony Blackman.

I won't say that this is a bad book, because it covers a lot of material to a great depth. Whole chapters on sonabuoys and techniques, minutiae of technical details, anecdotes of (mis)adventures, accounts of technical challenges and how they were met...

And then...at every turn, almost every page, Mr Blackman cannot avoid lamenting the cancellation of this aircraft, to the point of distraction.

I was hoping for the technical, for the anecdotes, for the stories, which are all wonderfully written. I scanned line after line of the Falklands Campaign (they were flying how close to enemy airfields without ANY kind of support at all except the tanker they left how many hours ago in what is an airliner?!).

But...really...Mr Blackman cannot but ram home to you, the reader, how your government (if you are a Brit) has wasted your tax money in letting contracts get out of control, how the money had been spent and then flushed and more wasted and how we are now failing in our NATO/UN/maritime duties without Nimrod.

Good for the aviation afficiando. Too negative for the casual reader.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting to read about a project that both myself and my Grandfather worked on indirectly in different stages of our careers. Was a bit long and technical in a few places but loved all the stories of operations. The background to the project also really interesting. Like other reviews Tony does mention the cancellation quite a lot but didn't stop my enjoyment of the book. Thanks

[Wayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unless you are intensely interested in the history of the British Nimrod, I doubt if you will enjoy it. Far too technically detailed for my tastes.