On Tuesday 22nd October 2024 at 12pm, Thomas Withington will explore the history and legacy of the Nimrod-R1. This lecture will be hosted in-person at our Midlands site and live-streamed via Crowdcast.

It was one of the most secretive aircraft flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF), forged from the service’s pioneering Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) gathering work during the Second World War and early Cold War. The Nimrod-R1 SIGINT jet had a career spanning almost 40 years. Whether supporting British forces in Germany, helping GCHQ or assisting UK military operations, the Nimrod-R1 had a colourful service life. During its long and varied career, the aircraft stayed in the shadows. Using open-source information, declassified documents and mathematical simulations of the aircraft’s performance, this presentation lifts the veil on the Nimrod-R1. It will demystify the aircraft and its missions, describing its impressive performance and capabilities. The presentation will explain how the Nimrod-R1 carried the RAF’s ground-breaking Second World War SIGINT work through the Cold War and post-Cold War years. Ultimately, it will show that the work pioneered by the Nimrod-R1 resonates in the SIGINT capabilities and expertise the RAF retains today.

Dr. Thomas Withington is an award-winning analyst and writer specialising in electronic warfare, radar and military communications and a Research Associate at the Royal United Services Institute. He has written widely on these subjects for a range of specialist and general publications. He also works as a consultant and adviser in these areas for several leading government and private sector clients. Furthermore, Dr. Withington provides regular commentary on security and defence aspects of electromagnetic spectrum use for major media organisations around the world.

Lunchtime Lecture (Midlands): Picking up Signals: Decoding the Nimrod R1, its missions and legacy