The end of the WWII ushered in a new Cold War
‘Battle of the Atlantic’ with even higher stakes as
the RAF’s Coastal Command (and later, 18 Group
Strike Command) scoured the seas for the Soviet
submarines that menaced not only the sea lanes,
but also threatened Western cities with nuclear
annihilation. Britain’s aviation industry sought to
address an increasingly sophisticated Soviet
submarine force by developing equipment such as
radar, sonar, torpedoes, depth charges and the
aircraft to carry them.
Based on recently released archive material,
Nimrod’s Genesis describes systems such as the
HS.828 reusable sonobuoy, proposed for the
RAF’s Cold War maritime patrol aircraft. The
aircraft projects themselves ranged from the
R.2/48 flying boat of the 1940s, the Shackleton
replacement proposals of the 1950s, through the
variable-geometry supersonic aircraft and
modified airliners of the 1960s, to 21st century
discussions on whether the RAF should have a
maritime role at all. Nimrod’s Genesis reveals the
background to the decisions and reveals the many
design studies conducted by the UK’s aircraft
industry.
Illustrated throughout with photographs, drawings
and specially commissioned artwork, Nimrod’s
Genesis is a unique reference to the aircraft,
weapons and sensors designed to protect the sea
lanes and hunt Soviet submarines since 1945 and
like the author’s best-selling Vulcan’s Hammer
and Battle Flight, Nimrod’s Genesis challenges
previously accepted beliefs about the concepts
and projects behind Britain’s Cold War aircraft.
