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The UK had already embarked on its own hydrogen bomb programme, and to bridge the gap until these were ready the V-bombers were equipped with an Interim Megaton Weapon based on the Blue Danube casing containing Green Grass, a large pure-fission warhead of 400-kiloton-of-TNT (1.7 PJ) yield. [144] [N 6] This bomb was known as Violet Club. [144]
There were 22 such bases in 1962, in addition to the ten main bases a total of 32 bases available for the V bomber force. [1] In times of heightened international tension the V bomber force, already loaded with their nuclear weapons, could be flown to the dispersal bases where they could be kept at a few minutes readiness to take-off.
The Avro Vulcan is a British jet-engine strategic bomber operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Of the 134 production Vulcans built, 19 survive today. None are airworthy, although three (XH558, XL426 and XM655) are in taxiable condition. All but four survivors are located in the United Kingdom.
The Valiants were used during the Suez Crisis as conventional bombers. Victors and Vulcans were deployed to the Malay Archipelago as a deterrent during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation but were not used in missions. The Vulcan is well-remembered for its conventional Black Buck bombing raids during the 1982 Falklands War.
Avro Vulcan XH558 (military serial XH558, civil aircraft registration G-VLCN) Spirit of Great Britain was the last remaining airworthy example of the 134 Avro Vulcan jet-powered delta winged strategic nuclear bomber aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force during the Cold War. It was the last Vulcan in military service, and the last to fly at ...
The Vulcan OCU was based at RAF Finningley from June 1961 until December 1969. [42] Handley Page Victor bombers were added to the Finningley scene in later years before RAF Strike Command (the amalgamation of Bomber Command and Fighter Command on 30 April 1968) moved its units out and Training Command took over the station in May 1970.
Avro (an initialism of the founder's name) was a British aircraft manufacturer.Its designs include the Avro 504, used as a trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.
Vulcans were configured for the Blue Steel stand-off bomb and 617 Squadron was the first to be declared operational with it in August 1962, [31] until in January 1970 the squadron's eight Vulcan B2 aircraft were re-equipped with the new strategic laydown bomb, WE.177B [32] which improved aircraft survivability by enabling aircraft to remain at ...