The navigation and bombing system comprised an H2S Mk9 radar and a navigation bombing computer Mk1. [91] Other navigation aids included a Marconi radio compass ( ADF), GEE Mk3, Green Satin Doppler radar to determine the groundspeed and drift angle, radio and radar altimeters, and an instrument landing system. [91] TACAN replaced GEE in the B.1A [94] and B.2 in 1964. Decca Doppler 72 replaced Green Satin in the B.2 around 1969 [95] A continuous display of the aircraft's position was maintained by a ground position indicator. [95] Squadron 1960–1982, formed in 1960 to operate the B.1/B.1A, it converted to the B.2 in 1966 and disbanded in 1982. [210]

From 1957, VX770 was used as the flying testbed for the Rolls-Royce Conway by-pass engine. It crashed at a flying display at RAF Syerston in September 1958. [28]) On 24 July 1959, Vulcan B.1 XA891 crashed due to an electrical failure during an engine test. Shortly after takeoff, the crew observed generator warning lights and loss of busbar voltage. The aircraft commander, Avro Chief Test Pilot Jimmy Harrison, [230] climbed XA891 to 14,000ft (4,300m), steering away from the airfield and populated areas, while the AEO attempted to solve the problem. When it became clear that control would not be regained, Harrison instructed the rear compartment crew to exit the aircraft and the co-pilot to eject, before ejecting himself. [228] All the crew survived, making them the first complete Vulcan crew to successfully escape. The aircraft crashed near Kingston upon Hull. [118] Vulcan Bomb loading procedure". Archived from the original on 15 November 2021 – via www.youtube.com.

Freedman, Lawrence (2005). The Official History of the Falklands Campaign: Volume II - War and Diplomacy. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge. ISBN 0-7146-5207-5. OCLC 249889816. Just over 20 years later, its last three squadrons were about to be disbanded, the aircraft sent to flight museums and scrapyards. But the Vulcan was to find one last role, one as unexpected as its appearance over the Big Apple more than two decades earlier. In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and the United Kingdom found itself fighting a war on the other side of the world.

Imperial War Museum (2013). "Avro 698 Vulcan B2". IWM Collections Search . Retrieved 23 April 2013. The first 15 production B.1s were powered by the Olympus 101. Many of these early examples in a metallic finish remained the property of the Ministry of Supply, being retained for trials and development purposes. Those entering RAF service were delivered to No 230 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), the first in July 1956. [35] Later aircraft, painted in anti-flash white and powered by the Olympus 102 with 12,000lbf (53kN) thrust, began to enter squadron service in July 1957. [36] The Olympus 102s were modified during overhaul to the Olympus 104 standard, ultimately rated at 13,500lbf (60kN) thrust. [37] Squadron 1961–1984, formed in 1961 to operate the B.1/B.1A, it converted to the B.2 in 1966, from 1982 it also flew the tanker version until disbanding in 1984. [211] On 12 June 1963, Vulcan B.1A XH477 of No. 50 Squadron crashed in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. During a low-level exercise, the Vulcan was flown into terrain. All five crewmembers were killed. [233] [234] [235] [236] Will 'howl' of the Vulcan bomber be heard over Bournemouth again?" The Daily Echo, 30 December 2009.

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Exceptional...Written like the very best thriller, it draws the reader into the exclusive world of the combat crew in a unique and truly gripping way John Nichol The aircraft was an Avro Vulcan bomber, capable of carrying a 21,000lb nuclear payload. It looked like a scary version of Concorde. The New York stunt was part of an Anglo-American military exercise which proved the plane's ability to deliver nuclear bombs wherever they might be needed, whoever the enemy. The RAF called it "the tin triangle".

The Vulcan had no defensive weaponry, initially relying upon high-speed, high-altitude flight to evade interception. Electronic countermeasures were employed by the B.1 (designated B.1A) and B.2 from around 1960. A change to low-level tactics was made in the mid-1960s. In the mid-1970s, nine Vulcans were adapted for maritime radar reconnaissance operations, redesignated as B.2 (MRR). In the final years of service, six Vulcans were converted to the K.2 tanker configuration for aerial refuelling. Jerram, Mike (June 1993). "Can Vulcan be Saved?". Flying Magazine. Hachette Filipacchi . Retrieved 24 March 2020. Laming, Tim. The Vulcan Story: 1952–2002 Enderby, Leicester, UK: Silverdale Books, 2002. ISBN 1-85605-701-1. I hear that it went a bit quiet on his aircraft for a while, but being the professionals they were Martin just said ‘it looks like we’ve got a job of work to do’ and they proceeded southwards to complete their mission.” Early B.1s were equipped with the Olympus 101. Later aircraft were delivered with Olympus 102s. All Olympus 102s became the Olympus 104 on overhaul and ultimately 13,500lbf (60kN) thrust on uprating. [127] The first B.2 flew with the second-generation Olympus 200, [128] design of which began in 1952. [129] Subsequent B.2s were engined with either the uprated Olympus 201 or the Olympus 301. The Olympus 201 was designated 202 on being fitted with a rapid air starter. [130] The engine would later be developed into a reheated (afterburning) powerplant for the cancelled TSR-2 strike/reconnaissance aircraft and the supersonic passenger transport Concorde. [90]Squadron 1957–1961, formed in 1957 to be the second operational B.1 squadron, moved to Waddington in 1961. [213] During the planning stages of the assault on Argentine held locations on the Falklands, much attention was paid to how to achieve air superiority over the islands (Hasting, 2013). The British Air Force would be comprised primarily of Royal Navy Sea Harriers, operating from aircraft carriers such as the British Flagship HMS Hermes (Ward 1993). Squadron 1960–1969, a former B.1/B.1A squadron at Waddington, reformed in 1960 to operate the B.2 until disbanded in 1969. [212] Squadron 1975–1982, moved from Akrotiri in 1975 and operated the B.2 until it disbanded in March 1982. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu . Retrieved 16 April 2019.

It was the end of an era - the last time the RAF flew heavy bombers into combat before they were replaced by their digital, fly-by-wire, laser-guided successors. There were many who believed it couldn't be done. The Avro 732 was a 1956 proposal for a supersonic development of the Vulcan and would have been powered by 8 de Havilland Gyron Junior engines. Unlike the proposed Avro 721 low-level bomber of 1952 or the Avro 730 supersonic stainless steel canard bomber dating from 1954 (cancelled in 1957 before completion of the prototype), the Type 732 showed its Vulcan heritage. [60] Vulcan Phase 6 (Vulcan B.3) Silhouette of the original study for the Vulcan B.3 patrol missile carrier Gripping, endlessly fascinating detail. I read the book in one sitting: it is an utterly compelling war story, brilliantly written Simon Winchester Vulcan 607 delivered on my desire to know more about this mesmerizing aircraft. The book chronicles the final days of the Vulcan’s active service. After thirty years of looking like a threat from the future, the Vulcans were being retired, but they did not pass quietly from service. On the twilight of their operational existence they received their first and only call to fulfill their intended purpose. Painted gloss white, the 698 prototype VX770, with its pure delta wing, flew for the first time on 30 August 1952 piloted by Roly Falk flying solo. [22] VX770, fitted with only the first pilot's ejection seat and a conventional control wheel, was powered by four Rolls-Royce RA.3 Avon engines of 6,500lbf (29kN) thrust, its intended Bristol Olympus engines not being available. The prototype had fuselage fuel tanks but no wing tanks, so temporary additional tankage was carried in the bomb bay. [23] VX770 made an appearance at the 1952 Society of British Aircraft Constructors' (SBAC) Farnborough Air Show the next month when Falk demonstrated an almost vertical bank. [24]

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On 14 October 1975, Vulcan B.2 XM645 of No.9 Squadron lost its left undercarriage and damaged the airframe when it undershot the runway at RAF Luqa in Malta. The aircraft broke up over the town of Żabbar while turning inbound for an emergency landing. The pilot and co-pilot escaped using their ejection seats, the other five crew members were killed. Large aircraft pieces fell on the town; one woman, Vincenza Zammit, was killed by an electric cable, and some 20 others were injured. [243]