The UK will reduce the size of its maritime patrol force to 20 BAe Nimrod MR2s, with the disbandment of the Royal Air Force's 206 Sqn on 1 April. The restructuring will leave the service with two frontline MR2 squadrons of 10 aircraft each – numbers 120 and 201 – based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland, against the previous three squadrons of eight Nimrods each.
The MR2 fleet will remain in service until 2012, with the type to be gradually replaced by BAE Systems' Nimrod MRA4 from 2009. The RAF's future fleet of about 12 MRA4s will be based at Kinloss until at least 2013, after which the aircraft could be moved to RAF Waddington in eastern England.
Military and industry sources suggest the UK Ministry of Defence and BAE will conclude terms for a production contract for the MRA4 later this year, following successful tests of the delayed aircraft.
Source: Flight International
