Avro
Vulcan Frequently Asked Questions |
Who
invented the Vulcan?
Who
built the Vulcan?
How
much did a Vulcan cost?
Why
was the Vulcan needed?
When
did a Vulcan first fly?
How
many crew were needed?
Did
the Vulcan have ejector seats?
Where
were the Vulcans based?
What are the dimensions of the Vulcan?
What weapons did the Vulcan carry?
How many variants were produced?
Was
the Vulcan used to test Concorde's engines?
Why
were some Vulcans painted white?
Was
the Vulcan ever used against an enemy?
When
did the Vulcans leave the RAF?
What
happened to them then?
How
many are left now?
Will a Vulcan ever fly again?
Vulcan Bibliography
Glossary
of Vulcan Terms
Who invented the Vulcan?
The original idea to use a delta wing
came from Dr. A. Lippisch, a German designer who was famous for the
creation of the Messerschmitt Me163. His ideas were taken to America
after WWII. However the actual design for the Vulcan was produced by
Mr. Roy Chadwick, the chief designer at A.V. Roe.
Who built the Vulcan?
The Vulcan was produced by the A.V.
Roe company which was based at Chadderton near Manchester. The
assembly hall (where the different components were fitted together)
was located at Woodford, near Stockport.
How much did a Vulcan cost?
Each Vulcan originally cost over one
million pounds. At current prices this would equate to nearer sixty
million pounds per aircraft. However, Vulcans are decidedly cheaper
these days! XM612 was purchased by the City of Norwich Aviation
Museum, in airworthy condition, for the sum of five thousand pounds
in January 1983. You thought your car suffered depreciation!!
Why was the Vulcan needed?
After the American bombing of Japan
with atomic bombs, it was clear that if Britain was to remain a
dominant force, she too needed an atomic capability. Piston engined
aircraft were not suitable for this role as they were easy pickings
for enemy jet interceptors. Thus, a purpose built four-jet aircraft
was required.
Bomber Command required an aircraft
which was capable of delivering a nuclear device weighing 10,000lb,
over a range of 1,500 nautical miles. It had to be able to fly at
altitudes between 30,000 and 50,000 feet, and travel at 500 knots
(Mach .83).
Three companies sent in designs for
this aircraft, namely Vickers, Handley Page and A.V. Roe. To
minimise disruption caused by unforeseen problems Bomber Command
approved all three designs and so the Valiant, Victor and Vulcan
were born...
When did a Vulcan first fly?
The flight was from the Avro factory
at Woodford, Cheshire. It occurred on the 31st of August 1952. The
aircraft was flown by test-pilot Roly Falk. He displayed the Vulcan
a week later at the Farnborough Air show.
How many crew were needed?
Being a complex aircraft the Vulcan
required five members of crew. These were : Captain, Co-Pilot,
Navigator Plotter, Navigator Radar and Air Electronics Officer. Each
had an important role to perform when the Vulcan was flying.
Click here to find out more about their
roles.
Did Vulcans have ejector
seats?
Vulcan captain and co-pilot had
ejector seats, but in an emergency the other three crewmen had to
bail out through the entrance hatch.
Where were the Vulcan Squadrons based?
So as to minimise the amount of
damage caused to Vulcan squadrons if an enemy attacked without
warning, the aircraft were not kept in one central location. In fact
they were spread out across the country. Ten airfields were
designated V-bomber bases. A further twenty-six airfields were used
as dispersal areas.
Coningsby
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Cottesmore
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Finningley
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Gaydon
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Honnington
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Marham
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Scampton
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Waddington
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Wittering
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Wyton
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V-Bomber Dispersal Airfields
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Aldergrove
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Bedford
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Boscombe Down
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Brawdy
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Burtonwood
|
Cranwell
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Elvington
|
Filton
|
Kemble
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Kinloss
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Leconfield
|
Leeming
|
Leuchars
|
Llanbedr
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Lossiemouth
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Lyneham
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Macrihanish
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Manston
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Middleton
St. George
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Pershore
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Prestwick
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St. Mawgan
|
Shawbury
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Tarrant Rushton
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What are the dimensions of the Vulcan?
The basic dimensions are as follows :
Vulcan B1 Technical
Specifications
Wingspan : 99 ft 0 in
Length : 97ft 1 in
Height : 26ft 6in
Wing Area : 3554 sq ft
|
Vulcan B2 Technical
Specifications
Wingspan : 111 ft 0 in
Length : 99ft 11 in
Height : 27ft 1in
Wing Area : 3964 sq ft
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To find out more about the technical
specifications
of the Vulcan click here.
What weapons did the Vulcan carry?
The first type of Vulcan (B1) was
fitted with Britain's original atomic bomb. This was called Blue
Danube. This weapon was later changed to the more powerful
thermonuclear bomb code named Yellow Sun. From 1962, the B2
squadrons at RAF Scampton, were armed with Blue Steel, a stand-off
nuclear missile which was designed to be fired from a range of up to
100 miles from its target.
Yellow Sun (On display
at RAF Museum Hendon)
Blue Steel was an excellent stand-off
weapon in that, once it was realised, it needed no signals from
outside. Thus, it was impossible for it to be jammed or diverted by
enemy counter-measures.
Blue Steel had a number of problems.
Its fuel was dangerous to handle, and its complex, delicate
electronics were susceptible to environmental conditions.
Blue Steel on
transporter (On display at RAF Museum Hendon)
It was to be replaced by the Skybolt
missile. When Skybolt was cancelled the RAF took delivery of the
WE177 free-fall nuclear bomb.
After the withdrawal of the WE177
from service in 1998, the Royal Air Force was no longer equipped
with a nuclear arsenal.
WE177 (On display at
RAF Museum Cosford)
All Vulcans were also capable of
carrying conventional bomb loads. The bomb bay was so large that up
to twenty-one 1,000lb conventional iron bombs could be dropped by
each Vulcan in a single mission.
1000lb Bombs & Bomb
cradle
During the Falklands conflict,
Vulcans were equipped with conventional bombs and Shrike anti-radar
missiles. These missiles locked onto Argentine radar installations
and destroyed them before they could pin point the location of the
advancing Vulcan.
The Vulcan did not carry any
defensive weapons. This was because it was thought that no missiles
or enemy aircraft would be able to detect the Vulcan during high
level bombing missions. However as technology improved the Vulcan
fleet were fitted with many electronic counter measures (ECM)
devices to prevent an enemy attacking them.
How many variants were produced?
Not including the two prototypes, the
first production Vulcans were called B1's. These aircraft had almost
straight leading edges to their wings and were powered by Olympus
101, 102 and 104 engines. The first B1 flew in 1955.
These were replaced with the B1A
variant in 1959. A pod was fitted to the rear fuselage (behind the
tail fin). This pod contained ECM equipment. Many B1's were
converted to B1A specification.
In the latter months of 1958 the
first B2 took to the skies. The B2 incorporated many design changes
over the B1, and was a far superior aircraft. The most striking
difference between the two aircraft was the delta wing. This had
been redesigned, and had a "kink" put into it . Ninety other
engineering changes were also made, including nose wheel lengthening
and new, more powerful, 200 volt generators being fitted to the
aircraft.
With the arrival of the Blue Steel
stand-off missile came another variant of the Vulcan design. This
was to be called B2A. These were first flown in the early to mid
1960's. Modifications included, adding a crank in the bomb bay, and
removal of the bomb bay doors. Other electrical and mechanical
changes were also sanctioned. After decommissioning of the Blue
Steel weapon (1969-70), the B2A Vulcans were returned to B2
specification.
A radar reconnaissance variant was
converted in 1973. This modification involved removing the terrain
following radar (TFR) from the nose cone and replacing it with Loran
navigation equipment. Various other sensors and photographic
accessories were also added. These Vulcans were designated B2 MRR's
(Maritime Radar Reconnaissance).
Shortly before the end of the Vulcans
time in the RAF half a dozen of them were converted into tanker
aircraft. These were called B2K's or K2's. The changes included,
replacing the rear ECM equipment with hose/drum units, and fitting
extra fuel tanks into the bomb bay. This fuel could then be used by
the Vulcan itself or transferred to other aircraft.
A refueller unit
similar to those used on the K2
(On display at RAF Museum Hendon)
Was the Vulcan used to test Concorde's engines?
A
few Vulcans were used by Rolls Royce as test-beds for the Concorde,
TSR-2 and Tornado engine development programmes. Concorde uses the
Olympus 593 engine, a development of the Vulcan's Bristol Siddeley
(Rolls Royce) Olympus engine.
The TSR-2 project was scrapped.
Why were some Vulcans painted white?
The Vulcan was originally designed to
deploy a nuclear bomb onto the enemy whilst flying at a high
altitude. The white paint work was introduced to help reduce the
possibility that enemy forces would be able to see the aircraft as
she flew towards her target. Also the white paintwork, known as
anti-flash white, was supposed to minimise the effects of a nuclear
blast on the aircraft and its crew. Whether this would have actually
been effective is open to debate, as the Vulcan would have been a
long distance away from the detonation of its nuclear payload. After
the "Polaris" nuclear deterrent was introduced, the Vulcan's role
shifted from high level bomber to low level work. It was at this
stage the paint work was altered to a camouflage pattern.
Was the Vulcan ever used against an enemy?
Yes, shortly before the Vulcan was
due to retire from active service, the Falkland Islands were invaded
by Argentine forces. The RAF used Vulcan bombers to bomb the runway
at Port Stanley. At the time the mission was the longest bombing
sortie in the history of aviation warfare.
To find out more about this mission click here.
When did the Vulcans leave the RAF?
The last operational Vulcan squadron
was 50 sqdn based at Waddington. They disbanded on the 31st of March
1984. The aircraft they used were sold to museums or sent to the
fire dump.
What happened to them then?
Sadly most of them were sold as scrap
and broken up. However sixteen intact Vulcan aircraft remain in the
UK. They are scattered around the country and are owned by museums
and restoration groups. Apart from these, five Vulcans can be found
in other parts of the World.
Click here for a map of the locations of
the
remaining Vulcans in the UK.
How many are left now?
The total number of intact Vulcans
(or Vulcan prototypes) is 21. Unfortunately at the present moment,
none of these aircraft are airworthy. However a small handful are
still able to carry out taxi runs.
Will a Vulcan ever fly again?
Yes! Until the later part of 2007 it
seemed unlikely that a Vulcan would ever fly again. However, thnaks
to the hard-work and dedication of Dr Robert Plemming and the
Bruntingthopre enginering team, one cvulcan, XH558 will be returning
to the display arena in 2008.
This event has been the dream of thousands of people, both RAF
personnel and laymen alike, to watch a Vulcan take to skies again.,
to silhoutte the amazing delta shape of it's wing and to produce
that awe inspiring Olympus roar when all 4 engines are spooled up to
full power.
I urge you, if you get the
chance, to observe XH558 in action.
I can guarentee you, this is onw display aircraft you will never
forget.
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