Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Yorkshire Air Museum before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | XV250 |
|---|---|
| Type | Hawker Siddeley (BAe) Nimrod MR.2 |
| Built | Woodford, as an MR.1 |
| First flew | 21 January 1971 |
| Units / operator | RAF Kinloss; 203 Sqn, RAF Luqa (1972-75); RAF St Mawgan |
| MR.2 conversion | Began 16 June 1982; first flew as MR.2 on 10 June 1983 |
| Withdrawn | 31 March 2010 |
| Arrived | 13 April 2010, by air |
| Status | Taxiable |
| Where | Yorkshire Air Museum, York |
The story of XV250
XV250 was built at Woodford as a Nimrod MR.1 and first flew on 21 January 1971. It was delivered to RAF Kinloss on 18 February 1971.
On 4 February 1972 it moved to 203 Squadron at RAF Luqa, Malta. It came back to Kinloss in 1975. Kinloss remained its main base for the rest of its career. The exceptions were spells at RAF St Mawgan in 1979 and the 1980s, and overseas deployments.
On 16 June 1982 it returned to Woodford for conversion to MR.2 standard. It first flew as an MR.2 on 10 June 1983 and was redelivered to Kinloss on 8 July 1983.
It spent almost 27 more years in RAF service in its MR.2 form. XV250 was withdrawn on 31 March 2010. On 13 April 2010 it made its last flight, from Kinloss to Elvington.
The museum describes it as a tribute to the servicemen killed when Nimrod XV230 crashed near Kandahar in September 2006. The museum keeps it in what it calls ground operational condition. A volunteer team looks after it, and it performs engine runs alongside Victor XL231 at the museum's Thunder Days.
Seeing XV250 today
XV250 is parked at Elvington in ground-running condition; it runs its engines for the public on the museum's Thunder Days.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire Air MuseumYork, North Yorkshire | £17 | 54 | Halifax 'Friday the 13th' — the world's only complete Halifax reconstruction, honouring the type that flew from this very field —… |
Also known as: Nimrod XV250 · Elvington Nimrod · Nimrod MR2