Air Chief Marshal Sir John Slessor believed that had the air force been forced to choose among the three British bombers under development in the late 1930s—the Avro Manchester, Short Stirling, and Handley Page Halifax—it would have chosen the wrong one. As a stop gap, the British announced on 27 January 1950 that it had agreed to acquire Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers from the United States free under the recently passed American Mutual Defense Assistance Act.
Such a large and advanced bomber would be expensive on a per-unit basis, as it would be produced in small quantities. During the early part of the Second World War, Britain had a nuclear weapons project, codenamed Tube Alloys, which the 1943 Quebec Agreement merged with the American Manhattan Project.
617 Squadron, was formed on 1 May 1958 at RAF Scampton, the same base from which it carried out the Dambuster Raids in May 1943.
In November 1944, the UK Chiefs of Staff had requested a report from Sir Henry Tizard on potential future means of warfare.
Although touted as a mighty bomber in 1945, it lacked the range to reach targets in the Soviet Union, and would be vulnerable to the new jet fighters that were then under development. Elements within the RAF and the government sought to adopt the new nuclear weaponry and advances in aviation technology to introduce more potent and effective means of conducting warfare.
Reporting without knowledge of the progress of Allied efforts to produce an atomic bomb, in July 1945 the Tizard Committee urged the encouragement of large-scale atomic energy research.
The British government trusted that the United States would continue to share nuclear technology, which it regarded as a joint discovery, after the war, but the United States Atomic Energy Act of 1946 (McMahon Act) ended technical co-operation.
The first British atomic bomb was tested in Operation Hurricane on 3 October 1952. ==Development== In November 1946, the Air Ministry issued an operational requirement (OR230) for an advanced jet bomber capable of carrying a bomb to a target from a base anywhere in the world with a cruising speed of and at an altitude of between .
OR230 would never be fulfilled, and was ultimately cancelled on 17 September 1952. The Operational Requirements Committee met to discuss OR230 on 17 December 1946.
An advisory committee selected the Handley Page design on 23 December 1947, and it too was given an ITP. The 17 December 1946 meeting that came up with OR230 also decided to solicit bids for a more conservative design that could be put into service more quickly, and could act as further insurance against the failure of both of the more advanced designs.
The result was a new Operational Requirement (OR229) on 7 January 1947.
A request for designs went to most of the United Kingdom's major aircraft manufacturers: Handley Page, Armstrong Whitworth, Avro, Bristol, Short Brothers and English Electric. On 30 April 1947, Armstrong Whitworth, Avro, English Electric and Handley Page were invited to submit formal design tenders.
A tender design conference was held on 28 July 1947, and decided to order the design submitted by Avro, along with a small flying model to test its delta wing design.
The Ministry of Supply gave financial cover in the form of an Intention to Proceed (ITP) order to Avro in November 1947.
An advisory committee selected the Handley Page design on 23 December 1947, and it too was given an ITP. The 17 December 1946 meeting that came up with OR230 also decided to solicit bids for a more conservative design that could be put into service more quickly, and could act as further insurance against the failure of both of the more advanced designs.
This was expressed in another operational requirement (OR239), from which an Air Ministry specification, B.14/46, was generated, which was issued on 11 August 1947.
A design was put forward by Shorts, which was given an ITP in November 1947.
A new specification, B.9/48, was drawn up, based on the Vickers-Armstrong design, which was issued on 19 July 1948.
An ITP was given to Vickers-Armstrong in April 1948, followed by a contract for two prototypes in February 1949, whereas Shorts was only awarded a contract for two prototypes in February 1949.
An ITP was given to Vickers-Armstrong in April 1948, followed by a contract for two prototypes in February 1949, whereas Shorts was only awarded a contract for two prototypes in February 1949.
The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Main Force.
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Slessor believed that had the air force been forced to choose among the three British bombers under development in the late 1930s—the Avro Manchester, Short Stirling, and Handley Page Halifax—it would have chosen the wrong one. As a stop gap, the British announced on 27 January 1950 that it had agreed to acquire Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers from the United States free under the recently passed American Mutual Defense Assistance Act.
The RAF received its first Washington on 22 March 1950, and the eighty-seventh was delivered in June 1952.
The three models of strategic bomber, known collectively as the V class, were the Vickers Valiant, which first flew in 1951 and entered service in 1955; the Avro Vulcan, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956; and the Handley Page Victor, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1957.
The first prototype Vickers 660 flew on 18 May 1951, three months before the first prototype Sperrin, which first flew on 10 August 1951.
The three models of strategic bomber, known collectively as the V class, were the Vickers Valiant, which first flew in 1951 and entered service in 1955; the Avro Vulcan, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956; and the Handley Page Victor, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1957.
The first British atomic bomb was tested in Operation Hurricane on 3 October 1952. ==Development== In November 1946, the Air Ministry issued an operational requirement (OR230) for an advanced jet bomber capable of carrying a bomb to a target from a base anywhere in the world with a cruising speed of and at an altitude of between .
OR230 would never be fulfilled, and was ultimately cancelled on 17 September 1952. The Operational Requirements Committee met to discuss OR230 on 17 December 1946.
Hitherto, bombers had been named after British or Commonwealth cities, but in October 1952 the Air Ministry decided to adopt alliterate names, with the other designs becoming the Avro Vulcan and the Handley-Page Victor.
The RAF received its first Washington on 22 March 1950, and the eighty-seventh was delivered in June 1952.
But the Royal Air Force has not yet handled atomic weapons, therefore, we must get some bombs to the RAF at the earliest possible moment, so that the handling and servicing can be practised and fully worked out." The Canberra and Valiant were accorded "super priority" status on 13 March 1952, and in December the Vulcan and Victor also received it. The Valiant went into production as the first V bomber in 1955.
The Washingtons suffered from maintenance problems due to a lack of spare parts, and most were returned to the US between July 1953 and July 1954; four remained in service until 1958.
Their role was assumed by the new jet-propelled English Electric Canberra bomber. ==In service== ===First generation=== When the first Blue Danube atomic bombs were delivered to the Bomber Command Armaments School at RAF Wittering on 7 and 11 November 1953, the RAF had no bombers capable of carrying them.
A 1953 report estimated that an attack on the UK with 132 fission weapons would generate 2 million casualties.
The Washingtons suffered from maintenance problems due to a lack of spare parts, and most were returned to the US between July 1953 and July 1954; four remained in service until 1958.
The last 17 aircraft outstanding from the September 1954 order and 8 from the March 1955 order were switched to the B.2, making a total of 49 on order.
But the United States strategy was that attacks on population centres would have little value once a war had actually begun, and prioritised military targets, particularly those from which nuclear weapons could be launched or deployed. Coordination of war plans between RAF Bomber Command and the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) was clearly desirable, and a joint war plan was negotiated between 1954 and 1958.
1321 Flight was formed at RAF Wittering on 3 August 1954 which conducted ballistic test trials with Blue Danube practice bombs.
To extend the effectiveness and operational life of the V bombers, an Operational Requirement (OR1132), was issued on 3 September 1954 for an air-launched, rocket-propelled standoff missile with a range of that could be launched from a V bomber.
However, on 8 January 1954, the Air Staff decided that the V bombers should be capable of both aerial refuelling and acting as tankers, and an Operational Requirement (OR3580) was issued in 1956 for an electronic positioning system to facilitate aerial refuelling.
The three models of strategic bomber, known collectively as the V class, were the Vickers Valiant, which first flew in 1951 and entered service in 1955; the Avro Vulcan, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956; and the Handley Page Victor, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1957.
But the Royal Air Force has not yet handled atomic weapons, therefore, we must get some bombs to the RAF at the earliest possible moment, so that the handling and servicing can be practised and fully worked out." The Canberra and Valiant were accorded "super priority" status on 13 March 1952, and in December the Vulcan and Victor also received it. The Valiant went into production as the first V bomber in 1955.
The Valiant entered service in February 1955, the Vulcan in May 1956 and the Victor in November 1957.
232 Operational Conversion Unit was formed at RAF Gaydon in June 1955 and aircrew training commenced.
138 Squadron, formed at RAF Gaydon in January 1955, followed by No.
543 Squadron, which was formed at RAF Gaydon on 1 June 1955 before moving to RAF Wyton.
The last 17 aircraft outstanding from the September 1954 order and 8 from the March 1955 order were switched to the B.2, making a total of 49 on order.
However, development of the Sapphire 9 was cancelled by the Ministry of Supply in February 1956, and a minor improvement to the Sapphire 7 in March 1956 increased its thrust to , so it was decided to ship 25 of the next production batch of 33 Victors ordered in May 1955 with the Sapphire 7.
Britain had only ten nuclear bombs in 1955, and just 14 in 1956.
543 Squadron, commencing in the second half of 1955.
The three models of strategic bomber, known collectively as the V class, were the Vickers Valiant, which first flew in 1951 and entered service in 1955; the Avro Vulcan, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956; and the Handley Page Victor, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1957.
The Valiant entered service in February 1955, the Vulcan in May 1956 and the Victor in November 1957.
Two more Valiant bases were established at RAF Marham and RAF Honington in 1956, and six more squadrons were formed in quick succession: No.
Two dozen of a new model of the Vulcan, the B.2, with Bristol Olympus 201 engines, a slightly larger wingspan and new electrical and electronic systems were ordered on 25 February 1956.
However, development of the Sapphire 9 was cancelled by the Ministry of Supply in February 1956, and a minor improvement to the Sapphire 7 in March 1956 increased its thrust to , so it was decided to ship 25 of the next production batch of 33 Victors ordered in May 1955 with the Sapphire 7.
The remaining eight, along with 18 more Victors ordered in January 1956, were built as Victor B.2s, with the Rolls-Royce Conway RCo.11 engines providing .
138 Squadron in March 1956, and No.
49 Squadron on 1 May 1956.
49 Squadron became the first RAF aircraft to drop an operational atomic bomb when it performed a test drop of a down-rated 3-kt Blue Danube at Maralinga on 11 October 1956.
Britain had only ten nuclear bombs in 1955, and just 14 in 1956.
Project E modifications to Valiants commenced at RAE Farnborough in February 1956.
The final practice loading at RAF Marham—with the Mark 43s—was in January 1965, and the last US personnel left the base in July. ===Low level strike=== The prospect of bombers being able to avoid the Soviet air defences dimmed with the appearance of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, which Nigel Birch, the Secretary of State for Air and senior RAF officers saw at Tushino Airfield on 24 June 1956.
The Ministry of Supply placed a development contract with Avro in March 1956, and it entered service in December 1962. By this time, it was anticipated that even with Blue Steel, the air defences of the Soviet Union would soon improve to the extent that V bombers might find it difficult to attack their targets, and there were calls for the development of the Blue Steel Mark II with a range of at least .
The last four remaining squadrons were about to disband in 1982 when called upon to assist in the Falklands War. ==Conventional mission== ===Suez crisis=== The first V bomber to see combat use with conventional bombs was the Valiant in Operation Musketeer, the Anglo-French military response in the Suez Crisis in 1956.
RAF units began deploying to Malta in September 1956, and when Israel attacked Egypt on 29 October 1956, four Valiant squadrons—Nos 138, 148, 207 and 214 Squadrons—were based at RAF Luqa.
However, on 8 January 1954, the Air Staff decided that the V bombers should be capable of both aerial refuelling and acting as tankers, and an Operational Requirement (OR3580) was issued in 1956 for an electronic positioning system to facilitate aerial refuelling.
The three models of strategic bomber, known collectively as the V class, were the Vickers Valiant, which first flew in 1951 and entered service in 1955; the Avro Vulcan, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956; and the Handley Page Victor, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1957.
The Valiant entered service in February 1955, the Vulcan in May 1956 and the Victor in November 1957.
90 Squadron at RAF Honington in January 1957. Vulcan XA895 was allocated to No.
230 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Waddington in January 1957, and Vulcan aircrew training commenced.
83 Squadron, was formed at RAF Waddington in May 1957.
230 Operational Conversion Unit until it received its first Vulcan, XA905, on 11 July 1957.
101 Squadron, which was formed at RAF Finningley on 15 October 1957.
232 Operational Conversion Unit took delivery of its first Victor on 29 November 1957.
In 1957, the Air Ministry drew up a list of 131 Soviet cities with populations of 100,000 or more.
The pilot was Squadron Leader Edwin Flavell, and the bomb aimer was Flight Lieutenant Eric Stacey, and both were awarded the Air Force Cross. On 15 May 1957, Valiant B.1 XD818 flown by Wing Commander Kenneth Hubbard dropped the first British [bomb] over the Pacific, the "Short Granite", as part of Operation Grapple.
The first British hydrogen bomb that detonated as planned was Grapple X Round A, dropped on 8 November 1957.
The first 28 Valiants were modified by October 1957; the remaining 20 Valiants, along with 24 Vulcans, were ready by January 1959.
So too did the new SA-2 surface-to-air missiles, which appeared in 1957.
In 1957, the supersonic Avro 730 bomber was cancelled.
The only airbase that was completely out of commission was Cairo West, and then only because of Egyptian demolitions. ===Far East operations=== On 29 October 1957, three Valiants from No.
199 Squadron from 30 September 1957.
The Washingtons suffered from maintenance problems due to a lack of spare parts, and most were returned to the US between July 1953 and July 1954; four remained in service until 1958.
617 Squadron, was formed on 1 May 1958 at RAF Scampton, the same base from which it carried out the Dambuster Raids in May 1943.
10 Squadron RAF, which received its first Victor on 9 April 1958 and was formed on 15 April.
15 Squadron, which was formed on 1 September 1958, and No.
V force assets at the end of 1958 were: ===Second generation=== The development of effective jet fighters and anti-aircraft missile defences promised to make the nuclear deterrent delivered from bombers flying at high altitudes increasingly ineffective.
Another 40 were ordered on 22 January 1958.
A pre-production model, XH533, first flew on 19 August 1958, and in a trial on 4 Match 1959 it reached .
But the United States strategy was that attacks on population centres would have little value once a war had actually begun, and prioritised military targets, particularly those from which nuclear weapons could be launched or deployed. Coordination of war plans between RAF Bomber Command and the USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) was clearly desirable, and a joint war plan was negotiated between 1954 and 1958.
The Grapple series of tests continued into 1958, and the Grapple Y bomb exploded in April 1958 with ten times the yield of the original "Short Granite".
Testing was finally terminated in November 1958 when the British government decided to cease atmospheric testing. === Project E === As V bomber production picked up, the number of bombers exceeded the number of available British nuclear weapons.
The successful British development of the hydrogen bomb, and a favourable international relations climate caused by the Sputnik crisis, led to the United States Atomic Energy Act being amended again in 1958, resulting in the long-sought resumption of the nuclear Special Relationship between Britain and the United States in the form of the 1958 US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement.
The decision was taken by the Air Council on 15 May 1958.
214 Squadron was selected to carry out tanker trials, while retaining its bombing role, in February 1958.
57 Squadron, which was formed on 1 January 1959. The UK nuclear strike force became known officially as the V force or Main Force.
A pre-production model, XH533, first flew on 19 August 1958, and in a trial on 4 Match 1959 it reached .
Most of this work was carried out by Armstrong Whitworth. Modifications were made to the Victor B.1 in 1959.
The prototype Victor B.2, XH668, first flew on 20 February 1959, but was lost over the Irish Sea on 20 August.
The first 28 Valiants were modified by October 1957; the remaining 20 Valiants, along with 24 Vulcans, were ready by January 1959.
The Minister of Aviation, Duncan Sandys, insisted that priority be accorded to getting the Mark I into service, and the Mark II was cancelled at the end of 1959.
The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Main Force.
230 Operational Conversion Unit on 1 July 1960.
With sufficient British bombs on hand, operational issues, and the concept of an independent nuclear deterrent came to the fore. The Air Council decided on 7 July 1960 that Project E weapons would be phased out by December 1962, by which time it was anticipated that there would be sufficient British megaton weapons to equip the entire strategic bomber force.
One of them shot down an American Lockheed U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers over the Soviet Union on 1 May 1960.
This freed up funds for the Blue Streak missile programme, but it too was cancelled, on 24 February 1960.
Armed with a British Red Snow warhead, this would improve the capability of the UK's V bomber force, and extend its useful life into the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Cabinet Defence Committee approved the acquisition of Skybolt in February 1960.
207 Squadron, on 1 January 1960.
Subsequently, small detachments of Valiants and Vulcans deployed to the Far East for a fortnight every three months until June 1960.
The first production B.2, XL188, was delivered on 2 November 1961, and No.
Project E weapons were replaced by British Yellow Sun bombs at RAF Honington on 1 July 1961 and Waddington on 30 March 1962.
A British warhead was designed to fit in Skybolt's nose cone, and dummy test firings were carried out at RAF West Freugh commencing on 9 December 1961.
In August 1961, a second Valiant squadron, No.
A proposal to convert Victor B.1s and B.1As was first considered by the Air Staff on 25 May 1961 and was endorsed by the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, Sir Solly Zuckerman, and the Chiefs of Staff in 1963.
139 Squadron became the first Victor B.2 squadron on 1 February 1962. V force assets at the end of 1962 were: The V Bomber force reached its peak in June 1964, when 50 Valiants, 70 Vulcans and 39 Victors were in service.
With sufficient British bombs on hand, operational issues, and the concept of an independent nuclear deterrent came to the fore. The Air Council decided on 7 July 1960 that Project E weapons would be phased out by December 1962, by which time it was anticipated that there would be sufficient British megaton weapons to equip the entire strategic bomber force.
Project E weapons were replaced by British Yellow Sun bombs at RAF Honington on 1 July 1961 and Waddington on 30 March 1962.
The UK-based Valiants at Honington and Wittering were withdrawn in April and October 1962, and the last Valiants were retired from the V bomber force in July 1965.
The Ministry of Supply placed a development contract with Avro in March 1956, and it entered service in December 1962. By this time, it was anticipated that even with Blue Steel, the air defences of the Soviet Union would soon improve to the extent that V bombers might find it difficult to attack their targets, and there were calls for the development of the Blue Steel Mark II with a range of at least .
The project came to an abrupt halt when the US government cancelled Skybolt on 31 December 1962, but the vestigial attachment points were used for AN/ALQ-101 electronic countermeasure pods during the Falklands War.
Nos 90 and 214 Squadrons became full-time tanker squadrons on 1 April 1962.
In a demonstration on 20/21 June 1962, a Vulcan B.1A from No.
Kennedy on 3 January 1963, under which the US agreed to supply the UK with Polaris submarine-launched ballistic missiles instead.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, each V force squadron kept one fully armed aircraft and crew at 15 minutes' readiness. By 1963, the RAF was convinced that, to have any chance of survival, the V bombers would have to attack at low level.
The three Vulcan B.1A squadrons at RAF Waddington and the four Victor B.1A squadrons at RAF Honington and RAF Cottesmore were ordered to switch to low-level operations in March 1963.
When the Indonesian Confrontation heated up in December 1963, eight Victors from Nos 10 and 15 Squadrons were sent to the Far East, where they were based at RAF Tengah and RAAF Butterworth.
A proposal to convert Victor B.1s and B.1As was first considered by the Air Staff on 25 May 1961 and was endorsed by the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, Sir Solly Zuckerman, and the Chiefs of Staff in 1963.
The V Bomber force reached its peak in June 1964 with 50 Valiants, 70 Vulcans and 39 Victors in service. When it became clear that the Soviet Union's surface-to-air missiles like the S-75 Dvina could bring down high-flying aircraft, the V bomber force changed to low-level attack methods.
Reconnaissance versions were produced, and other modifications were also made during their lifetime. The Valiants were removed from service in 1964 after problems with metal fatigue of their wings became apparent; a planned low-level variant did not progress beyond the prototype.
139 Squadron became the first Victor B.2 squadron on 1 February 1962. V force assets at the end of 1962 were: The V Bomber force reached its peak in June 1964, when 50 Valiants, 70 Vulcans and 39 Victors were in service.
The Vulcan B.2 and Victor B.2 squadrons followed on 1 May 1964.
A sign of the new doctrine was the replacement of their white paintwork with green camouflage on their upper surfaces, starting with Vulcan XH505 on 24 March 1964.
10 Squadron was disbanded in March 1964, and No.
The Vulcans were recalled to UK in December 1964 whilst the responsibility for the Far East fell on temporary detachments of Vulcans of Nos 9, 12 and 35 Squadrons with up to 16 aircraft for short periods.
Shrikes hit two of the less valuable and rapidly replaced secondary fire control radars, causing minor damage. ==Withdrawal of the Valiants== In July 1964, a Valiant of No.
When Vickers commenced repairs, it was found that the damage was more severe than first thought, and the entire fleet was grounded on 9 December 1964, and withdrawn from service.
The UK-based Valiants at Honington and Wittering were withdrawn in April and October 1962, and the last Valiants were retired from the V bomber force in July 1965.
The final practice loading at RAF Marham—with the Mark 43s—was in January 1965, and the last US personnel left the base in July. ===Low level strike=== The prospect of bombers being able to avoid the Soviet air defences dimmed with the appearance of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, which Nigel Birch, the Secretary of State for Air and senior RAF officers saw at Tushino Airfield on 24 June 1956.
Tensions decreased after March 1965, and the size of the detachment was cut to four aircraft.
A prototype (XL165) was flown for the first time on 23 February 1965, and the first aircraft (XL230) was delivered to No.
543 Squadron on 18 May 1965.
55 Squadron at RAF Marham in May and June 1965, but these were not full conversions, as they had only the underwing refuelling pods, and retained their bombing capability. As Victor tankers became available, a second tanker squadron, No.
Deliveries of the WE.177B commenced in September 1966.
57 Squadron, was formed at RAF Marham on 14 February 1966, and a third was added on 1 July 1966 when No.
This led to the Royal Navy taking over the nuclear deterrent role from 1968, using UGM-27 Polaris intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from nuclear submarines.
The last Victor bomber squadrons, Nos 100 and 139 Squadrons, were disbanded on 1 October and 31 December 1968 respectively.
Handley Page went into liquidation in August 1969, and the subsequent work was undertaken by Hawker Siddeley.
Armed with a British Red Snow warhead, this would improve the capability of the UK's V bomber force, and extend its useful life into the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The last Blue Steel mission was flown on 21 December 1970.
The first Victor K.2 tanker made its maiden flight on 1 March 1972.
27 Squadron, which had been re-formed in November 1973, and operated the Vulcan SR.2.
543 Squadron was disbanded on 31 May 1974, but a flight of four remained until 30 March 1975 to participate in French nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific.
They were withdrawn in 1975 in the wake of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
543 Squadron was disbanded on 31 May 1974, but a flight of four remained until 30 March 1975 to participate in French nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific.
55 Squadron began re-equipping with the Victor K.2 on 1 July 1975, followed by No.
57 Squadron on 7 June 1976.
214 Squadron retained its K.1As until it was disbanded on 28 February 1977, reducing the RAF's tanker fleet to just two squadrons. During the Falklands War, the commitments of the Victor tanker fleet became overwhelming.
Six squadrons of Vulcans were still assigned this role with the WE.177 weapon in 1981.
617 Squadron was disbanded on 31 December 1981, followed by No.
The Vulcan is well-remembered for its conventional Black Buck bombing raids during the 1982 Falklands War.
Usage of all V bombers as weapons platforms, nuclear or conventional, ended in 1982. ==Background== The Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command ended the Second World War with a policy of using heavy four-piston-engined bombers for massed raids, and remained committed to this policy in the immediate post-war period.
The last four remaining squadrons were about to disband in 1982 when called upon to assist in the Falklands War. ==Conventional mission== ===Suez crisis=== The first V bomber to see combat use with conventional bombs was the Valiant in Operation Musketeer, the Anglo-French military response in the Suez Crisis in 1956.
Annual deployments in support of SEATO continued for some years. ===Falklands War=== During the 1982 Falklands War, Vulcan bombers from Nos 44, 50 and 101 Squadrons, supported by Victor tankers from Nos 55 and 57 Squadrons, carried out a series of seven extremely long-range ground attack missions against Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands.
Training of crews in conventional bombing and in-flight refuelling was carried out from 14 to 17 April 1982. The raids, at almost and 15 hours for the return journey, were the longest-ranged bombing raids in history at the time.
27 Squadron was disbanded in March 1982. ==Aerial refuelling== In addition to the roles for which they were designed, all three V bombers served as aerial refuelling tankers at one time or another.
The first of six converted Vulcan tankers (XH561 - the others being XH558, XH560, XJ825, XL445 and XM571) flew on 18 June 1982, just seven weeks after the conversion work began, and the first Vulcan K.2 tanker was delivered to the RAF five days later.
35 Squadron on 1 March 1982, and No.
9 Squadron on 1 May 1982.
This left only Nos 44, 50 and 101 Squadrons at RAF Waddington, which were all scheduled to disband by 1 July 1982, with their tactical nuclear mission passing to the Panavia Tornado.
101 Squadron was disbanded on 4 August 1982, and No.
44 Squadron on 21 December 1982.
The HDUs used were those earmarked for the VC-10 conversion programme, so as these were completed, the HDUs were removed from the Vulcans, starting with Vulcan XJ825 on 4 May 1983. No.
50 Squadron at RAF Waddington, was disbanded on 13 March 1984, leaving behind six K.2s and three B.2s.
This role was filled by XL426, and then by XH558.In 1992, XH558 was sold to a private owner, and it made its last RAF flight on 23 March 1993. The Victor tankers saw active service again in the Gulf War, with eight deploying to Muharraq in Bahrain between December 1990 and March 1991.
This role was filled by XL426, and then by XH558.In 1992, XH558 was sold to a private owner, and it made its last RAF flight on 23 March 1993. The Victor tankers saw active service again in the Gulf War, with eight deploying to Muharraq in Bahrain between December 1990 and March 1991.
This role was filled by XL426, and then by XH558.In 1992, XH558 was sold to a private owner, and it made its last RAF flight on 23 March 1993. The Victor tankers saw active service again in the Gulf War, with eight deploying to Muharraq in Bahrain between December 1990 and March 1991.
This role was filled by XL426, and then by XH558.In 1992, XH558 was sold to a private owner, and it made its last RAF flight on 23 March 1993. The Victor tankers saw active service again in the Gulf War, with eight deploying to Muharraq in Bahrain between December 1990 and March 1991.
The tankers returned to RAF Marham in September 1993, where No.
57 Squadron, the last Victor unit, was disbanded on 15 October 1993. ==Preservation== On 8 February 2007, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford opened the National Cold War Exhibition at RAF Cosford in Shropshire to tell the story of the Cold War.
57 Squadron, the last Victor unit, was disbanded on 15 October 1993. ==Preservation== On 8 February 2007, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford opened the National Cold War Exhibition at RAF Cosford in Shropshire to tell the story of the Cold War.
Fopp, stated the goal was "people will leave feeling better informed about what happened in the second half of the 20th Century." Vulcan XH558 (Civil Registration G-VLCN), flew until October 2015, funded by public donations.
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