Editing Hawker Siddeley Nimrod (section)

===Falklands War===
Nimrods were first deployed to [[RAF Ascension Island|Wideawake airfield]] on [[Ascension Island]] on 5 April 1982,<ref name="Burden p401">Burden et al. 1986, p. 401.</ref> the type at first being used to fly local patrols around Ascension to guard against potential Argentine attacks, and to escort the British Task Force as it sailed south towards the Falklands, with Nimrods also being used to provide search and rescue as well as communications relay support of the [[Operation Black Buck]] bombing raids by [[Avro Vulcan]]s.<ref name="Burden p402-3">Burden et al. 1986, pp. 402–403.</ref> As the Task Force neared what would become the combat theatre and the threat from Argentine submarines rose, the more capable Nimrod MR2s took on operations initially performed by older Nimrod MR1s.<ref>Chant 2001, p. 34.</ref> Aviation author Chris Chant has claimed that the Nimrod R1 also conducted electronic intelligence missions operating from [[Punta Arenas]] in neutral [[Chile]].<ref>Chant 2001, p. 33.</ref>  The Chilean government allowed an RAF Nimrod R1 to fly signals reconnaissance sorties from the [[Desventuradas Islands]], gathering information on Argentine Air Force movements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spyflight.co.uk/chile.htm |title=Chile |access-date=2008-08-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430052441/http://www.spyflight.co.uk/chile.htm |archive-date=2012-04-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Alexander|first1=Harriet|title='Without Chile's help, we would have lost the Falklands'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/10947350/Without-Chiles-help-we-would-have-lost-the-Falklands.html|access-date=8 July 2014|work=The Telegraph|date=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aerosociety.com/news/21-things-i-discovered-while-writing-harrier-809/|title = 21 things I discovered while writing Harrier 809}}</ref>

The addition of air-to-air refuelling probes allowed operations to be carried out in the vicinity of the Falklands, while the aircraft's armament was supplemented by the addition of {{convert|1,000|lb|kg}} [[general-purpose bomb]]s, [[BL755]] [[cluster bomb]]s and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.<ref>Chant 2001, p. 82.</ref> The use of air-to-air refuelling allowed extremely long reconnaissance missions to be mounted, one example being a 19-hour 5-minute patrol conducted on 15 May 1982 (XV232 Airborne: 0803, Landing: 0308),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C13340772|title = Operation Corporate (Falklands Conflict): Long range Nimrod sortie; Flight Lieutenant J}}</ref> which passed within {{convert|60|mi|km}} of the Argentine coast to confirm that Argentine surface vessels were not at sea. Another long-range flight was carried out by an MR2 on the night of 20/21 May, covering a total of {{convert|8,453|mi|km}}, the longest distance flight carried out during the Falklands War.<ref>Chant 2001, p. 61.</ref> In all, Nimrods flew 111 missions from Ascension in support of British operations during the Falklands War.<ref name="Burden p403">Burden et al. 1986, p. 403.</ref>