Hey Jeff, It's a BAE (formerly Hawker Siddeley) Nimrod, more akin to your P3 Orion. Ie. Maritime patrol/surveillance and ASW.
A good friend of mine has a couple of tours under his belt in the 'Stan on board the P-3. Apparently the platform performs just as well over the desert as it does over water.
So I suppose yes, similar roles (surveillance) for your Nimrod, P-3 & "rivet Joint".
