Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan was designed by A. V. Roe and company at Chadderton near Manchester. Technical drawings were starting on the revolutionary delta-winged bomber in January 1947 to fulfill the requirements of the Ministry of Defence specification B35/46. This specification required an aircraft to be able to travel 3,350 nautical miles at a speed of 500 knots with an operating ceiling of 50,000 feet carrying a "special" payload of 10,000 pounds.
The first prototype Vulcan medium bomber flew on August 30, 1952. The Vulcan B.1 long-range medium bomber entered production in 1953, with the first production model flying on February 4, 1955. Planned re-equipment of Nos. 44, 50 and 101 Squadrons of RAF Bomber Command and No. 230 Operational Conversion Unit squadrons with this type was completed by the beginning of 1960. The B.Mk. 1A had electronics in a bulged tail-cone but was otherwise similar to the B.Mk. 1. Both versions carried five crew members, and progressively more powerful turbojets were installed during the production life of the B.Mks. 1 and 1A versions of the Vulcan.
In February 1963 Vulcans of No. 617 Sqn, RAF Scampton, were equipped with the Blue Steel stand-off air-to- surface nuclear missile following cancellation of the American Skybolt project. On 20-21 June 1961 the first non-stop UK - Australia flight was made by a Vulcan of No. 617 Sqn. The flight involved three aerial refuellings (over Cyprus, Karachi and Singapore) and covered the 11,500 miles (18,510 km) in 20 hr 3 min - an average speed of 573 mph (922 km/h).
The Vulcan B.2 was an extensively developed version of the basic design, featuring a wing of reduced thickness/chord ratio with more pronounced compound sweepback on the leading edges and slightly swept trailing edges. A prototype flew for the first time on 31 August 1957, and the first production aircraft flew a year later. Deliveries to No. 83 Squadron commencing in July 1960, and No. 617 Squadron was the second unit to receive this type as well as being the first to receive the Avro Blue Steel Mk. 1 stand-off missile which was the standard weapon of the Vulcan B.2. The Vulcan B.2 was initially powered by 17,000 lbst. Olympus 201 turbojets but was progressively engined with the Olympus 301.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Primary Function: | medium bomber |
| Contractor: | Avro |
| Power Plant: |
B.1 - Four 13,000 Ib.s.t. Bristol Siddeley Olympus 104 turbojets B.2 - Four 20,000 Ib.s.t. Bristol Siddeley Olympus 301 turbojets |
| Length: |
B.1 - 99 ft. 11 in. B.2 - 99 ft. 11 in. |
| Height: |
B.1 - 26 ft. 1 in. B.2 - 27 ft. 2 in. |
| Wingspan: |
B.1 - 99 ft. B.2 - 111 ft. |
| Speed - Maximum: |
B.1 - 625 m.p.h. at 40,000ft. (Mach 0.95) B.2 - 620-635 m.p.h. at 40,000 ft. (Mach 0.94-0.96) |
| Speed - Cruise: |
B.1 - 500 m.p.h. (Mach 0.75) B.2 - 580-600 m.p.h. |
| Ceiling: |
B.1 - 50,000+ ft. B.2 - 60,000+ ft. |
| Weight normal loaded: |
B.1 - 160,000 lb. B.2 - 200,000 lb |
| Maximum Takeoff Weight: |
B.1 - 180,000-200,000 lb. B.2 - |
| Range: |
B.1 - 2,500-3,000 miles B.2 - |
| Armament: | |
| Crew: | |
| Unit Cost: | |
| Date Deployed: | |
| Inventory: | |
| Type | B1 | B2 |
|---|---|---|
| Number Built | 45 | 89 |
| Dimensions, weights and performances | ||
| Wing Span | 99ft 0in | 111ft 0in |
| Length | 97ft 1in | 99ft 11in |
| Height | 26ft 6in | 27ft 2in |
| Wing Area | 3,554 sq ft | |
| All-up Weight | 170,000 lb | |
| Maximum Speed | 625 mph | 645 mph |
| Cruising Speed | 607 mph | 620 mph |
| Service Ceiling | 55,000 ft | |
| Range | 3,000 miles | |
| Engines | 4 x Olympus 101,102 or 104 | 4 x Olympus 200 series or 301 |
| Squadrons | ||
| 44 (1960-67) | 9 (1962-82) | |
| 50 (1961-65) | 12 (1962-67) | |
| 83 (1957-60) | 27 (1961-72)*** | |
| 101 (1957-67) | 35 (1962-82) | |
| 617 (1958-61) | 44 (1967-82) | |
| 230 OCU (56-65) | 50 (1965-84) | |
| 83 (1960-69) | ||
| 101 (1967-82) | ||
| 617 (1961-81) | ||
| 230 OCU (60-81) | ||
| Airfields | ||
| Akrotiri (Cyprus) | 9 (1969-75) | |
| 35 (1969-75) | ||
| Coningsby (Lincolnshire) | 9 (1962-64) | |
| 12 (1962-64) | ||
| 35 (1962-64) | ||
| Cottesmore (Rutland) | 9 (1964-69) | |
| 12 (1964-67) | ||
| 35 (1964-69) | ||
| Finningley (Yorkshire) | 101 (1957-61) | |
| 230 OCU (61-65) | 230 OCU (61-69) | |
| BCDU (1960-68) | BCDU (1960-68) | |
| Scampton (Lincolnshire) | 27 (1961-72) | |
| 27 (1973-82) | ||
| 35 (1975-82) | ||
| 83 (1960-69) | ||
| 617 (1958-61) | 617 (1961-81) | |
| 230 OCU (69-81) | ||
| Waddington (Lincolnshire) | 83 (1957-60) | 9 (1975-82) |
| 44 (1960-67) | 44 (1967-82) | |
| 50 (1961-65) | 50 (1965-84) | |
| 101 (1961-67) | 101 (1967-82) | |
| 230 OCU (56-61) | 230 OCU (60-61) | |
| VDF (1984-93) | ||
| Figures do not include the 2 prototypes. The B2 total includes one airframe (XM596) used as a static test-rig and never flown. A number of other test-rigs were constructed but these were not allocated serials. |
| The B1A was 99ft 11in long. If the refuelling probe was included, the B1A and B2 both measured 105ft 6in. |
| 27 Squadron reformed in 1973 to operate the B2(MRR) and disbanded again in 1982. |
Vulcan B Mk2 in 617 Squadron markings
