The Rolls-Royce Spey was used in the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod.
The Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft was based on the de Havilland Comet airliner but was redesigned extensively for military missions. Its later production and upgraded versions used Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines, selected for their efficiency and suitability for the aircraft’s low-altitude patrol role.
The Spey was an important British turbofan family developed during the 1950s. It powered several military and civil aircraft, including versions of the Blackburn Buccaneer and the Fokker F28. A navalized Spey derivative also powered the British F-4 Phantom II.
The Nimrod is sometimes linked with the Olympus because both engines served in major British aircraft programs, but they performed different roles. The Olympus was a larger turbojet used by Concorde and strategic aircraft, while the Spey was a turbofan used in the Nimrod’s propulsion system.