Avro Vulcan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan

The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) is a jet-powered
tailless delta wing high-altitude strategic bomber, which was operated by the
Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe and
Company (Avro) designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the
three V bombers produced, the Vulcan was considered the most technically
advanced and hence the riskiest option. Several scale aircraft, designated Avro
707, were produced to test and refine the delta wing design principles.

The Vulcan B.1 was first delivered to the RAF in 1956; deliveries of the
improved Vulcan B.2 started in 1960. The B.2 featured more powerful engines, a
larger wing, an improved electrical system and electronic countermeasures (ECM);
many were modified to accept the Blue Steel missile. As a part of the V-force,
the Vulcan was the backbone of the United Kingdom's airborne nuclear deterrent
during much of the Cold War. Although the Vulcan was typically armed with
nuclear weapons, it was capable of conventional bombing missions, a capability
which was used in Operation Black Buck during the Falklands War between the
United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982.

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 circa 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.


Role
Strategic bomber

National origin
United Kingdom

Manufacturer
Avro
Hawker Siddeley Aviation

First flight
30 August 1952

Introduction
September 1956

Retired
March 1984 (Royal Air Force)
October 2015 (XH558)

Status
Retired

Primary user
Royal Air Force

Produced
1956–1965

Number built
136 (including prototypes)

Unit cost

£750,000 (1956)

Variants
Avro Atlantic

Despite its radical and unusual shape, the airframe was built along traditional
lines. Except for the most highly stressed parts, the whole structure was
manufactured from standard grades of light alloy. The airframe was broken down
into a number of major assemblies: the centre section, a rectangular box
containing the bomb-bay and engine bays bounded by the front and rear spars and
the wing transport joints; the intakes and centre fuselage; the front fuselage,
incorporating the pressure cabin; the nose; the outer wings; the leading edges;
the wing trailing edge and tail end of the fuselage; the wings were not sealed
and used directly as fuel tankage, but carried bladders for fuel in the void
spaces of the wings; and there was a single swept tail fin with a single rudder
on the trailing edge.

A five-man crew, the first pilot, co-pilot, navigator radar, navigator plotter
and air electronics officer (AEO) was accommodated within the pressure cabin on
two levels; the pilots sitting on Martin-Baker 3K (3KS on the B.2) ejection
seats whilst on the lower level, the other crew sat facing rearwards and would
abandon the aircraft via the entrance door. The original B35/46 specification
sought a jettisonable crew compartment, this requirement was removed in a
subsequent amendment, the rear crew's escape system was often an issue of
controversy, such as when a practical refit scheme was rejected. A rudimentary
sixth seat forward of the navigator radar was provided for an additional crew
member; the B.2 had an additional seventh seat opposite the sixth seat and
forward of the AEO. These seats were no more than cushions, a full harness and
an oxygen and intercom facility. The visual bomb-aimer's compartment could be
fitted with a T4 (Blue Devil) bombsight, in many B.2s this space housed a
vertically mounted Vinten F95 Mk.10 camera for assessing simulated low-level
bombing runs.

Fuel was carried in 14 bag tanks, four in the centre fuselage above and to the
rear of the nosewheel bay and five in each outer wing. The tanks were split into
four groups of almost equal capacity, each normally feeding its respective
engine though cross-feeding was possible. The centre of gravity was
automatically maintained by electric timers which sequenced the booster pumps on
the tanks. B.2 aircraft could be fitted with one or two additional fuel tanks in
the bomb-bay.

Although in operational use the Vulcan typically carried various nuclear
armaments, the type also had a secondary conventional role. While performing
conventional combat missions, the Vulcan could carry up to 21 1,000 lb (454 kg)
bombs inside its bomb bay. From the 1960s, the various Vulcan squadrons would
routinely conduct conventional training missions; the aircrews were expected to
be able to perform conventional bombing missions in addition to the critical
nuclear strike mission the Vulcan normally performed.

The Vulcan's only combat missions took place towards the end of the type's
service in 1982. During the Falklands War, the Vulcan was deployed against
Argentinian forces which had occupied the Falkland Islands. This conflict was
the only occasion in which any of the V-bombers would participate in
conventional warfare. The missions performed by the Vulcan became known as the
Black Buck raids, each aircraft had to fly 3,889 mi (6,259 km) from Ascension
Island to reach Stanley on the Falklands. Victor tankers conducted the necessary
air-to-air refuelling for the Vulcan to cover the distance involved;
approximately 1,100,000 imp gal (5,000,000 l) of fuel was used in each mission.

Specifications Vulcan B.1

General characteristics
Crew: 5 (pilot, co-pilot, AEO, Navigator Radar, Navigator Plotter)
Length: 97 ft 1 in (29.59 m)
Wingspan: 99 ft 5 in (30.3 m)
Height: 26 ft 6 in (8.0 m)
Wing area: 3,554 ft² (330.2 m²)
Empty weight: 83,573 lb (including crew) (37,144 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 170,000 lb (77,111 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Bristol Olympus 101, or 102 or 104 turbojet, 11,000 lbf (49 kN)
each

Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 0.96 (645 mph ( 1038.03km/h)) at altitude – Mach 1+ in a
shallow dive
Cruise speed: Mach 0.86 (567 miles per hour (912 km/h)) at 45,000 feet (14,000
m)
Range: 2,607 mi (4,171 km)
Service ceiling: 55,000 ft (17,000 m)
Thrust/weight: 0.31

Armament

21 × 1,000 pounds (454 kg) of conventional bombs
1 x Blue Danube nuclear gravity bomb
1 x Violet Club 400 kt nuclear gravity bomb
1 x U.S. Mark 5 nuclear gravity bomb supplied under Project E
1 x Yellow Sun Mk.1 400 kt nuclear gravity bomb
1 x Yellow Sun Mk 2 1.1 Mt thermonuclear gravity bomb
1 x Red Beard nuclear gravity bomb
1 x WE.177B parachute-retarded nuclear gravity bomb



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