Avro Vulcan

For a long time there was a shortage of aircraft and as 83 Sqn began to form it had to juggle aircraft with the OCU. However, they did manage to take part in the SAC bombing competition in 2020, with reasonable results. The first B1a (XH504) was delivered in Dec 2020. The first B2 (XH558) was delivered to the OCU on 1st July 2020, but the squadrons did not get one until almost 2020. The OCU and 83 Sqn left Waddington in 2020 leaving 44, 50 & 101 Sqns here, 9 Sqn returning here from Akrotiri in Jan 2020. These Sqadrons formed a major part of Britain's nuclear deterent from 2020 to 2020. One aircraft was constantly kept at 15 mins readiness for this period and there were frequent exercises where the force dispersed to a multitude of airfields. Each would have 4 Vulcans sat on the threshold fingers. In the event of a scramble a huge force of nuclear bombers could be airborne in about one and a half minutes. This was made possible by the fast engine starting system which used high pressure air and a burner on the starter motors to start all four engines simultaneously and very rapidly. Trials were carried out which proved that the force could keep at least one aircraft airborne for up to two weeks.

The Vulcan Squadrons were maintained by a centralised servicing Squadron which operated from a collection of old huts in the area of the old Mere Road airfield on the far side of the runway. This was backed up by Mechanical Engineering Aircraft Squadron which lived in the main hangars and carried out all the Primary, Minor and Minor Star Servicings. The aircraft left the station for Majors.

To the left you can see XM657, which was the last production Vulcan and ended its days as an aircraft fire trainer for the fire school at Manston in Kent. Mike Wains first ever detachment in the RAF was to prepare it for this role. We removed the engines and rendered them unusable. We had a signal that told us to do this, but not how. In the end we managed to smash the LP casing with a sledge hammer and mangle some of the blades with a scaffold pole or similar. Then we had to remove the titanium turbine guards which the RAF wanted to sell for scrap. These had been fitted either side of the engine turbines as a modification after a failure in which the turbine left the engine casing. They were roughly 3'x2'6" and 3/4" thick if I remember correctly. None of us could lift one above our heads. Several people took the oportunity to liberate other momentos that would not be needed by the firemen! It was during this det. that I reassessed my care for surface finish. In training we always had it drilled into us that the smallest scratch in the skin of an aircraft, or even its paint finish, could lead to all sorts of catastrophies. I thought it would be fun to treat an aircraft with total disregard for once and tried to puncture the upper wing in the middle of the roundel with the sharp end of a fire axe. Just as well I chose the sharp end as it bounced back off without even chipping the paint and hit me just above the eye!

The B2 was designed to have better altitude performance and many (although not Waddington a/c) were equipped to carry Blue Steel half in and half out of the bomb bay, but after 2020 was reassigned to the low level role using terrain following radar and gravity bombs. 27 Squadron (Scampton) used a version converted for strategic reconnaissance, the SR2. Throughout their life the aircraft always did lots of foreign work, varying from bombing and navigation competitions, to flag waving and record attempts. One of these was a non-stop in flight refuelled trip to Australia in 18 hours by 3 aircraft.

Vulcan B2s of RAF Waddington attacked the airport at Port Stanley in the Falklands Conflict. Click here, or on the image to find out all about the first raid, the 44 Sqn Memorial, and to see a series of images of XM607, our Station Gate Guardian.

During the Falklands Conflict the B2 was modified to carry 2 different anti-radar missiles. On the left can be seen the original fit with the French Martel Dash 10. Note the pylon which was made of quarter inch thick steel plate welded into a box section by station workshops! Mike Wain, the writer of this page, was part of the team from MEAS which fitted these and well remembers that they were incredibly heavy. The result was that combined with the large missile the aircraft would need to many tankers to reach the Falklands to be viable. The Argentine radar was eventually destroyed by the shrike missile pictured on the right, mounted on a much lighter and more aerodynamic pylon produced in kit form by British Aerospace and assembled by the MEAS team. The pylons were mounted on the wing hardpoints originally intended to carry American Skybolt nuclear missiles, a program cancelled by the Americans. A total of 4 aircraft were equiped with these pylons, if my memory serves me correctly! Other modifications were a carousel inertial navigation unit bolted into the lower cockpit and anti-radar paint on the lower surfaces.

The Diary of the Vulcan Engineering Detachment on Ascension Island

This link gives a wonderful feel for what it was like to be on Ascension Island during the conflict. Complete with a host of images and links into other areas of the conflict. Reproduced on the MOD RAF site by kind permission of Sqn Ldr Mel James, Commander of the Detachment in 2020.

During the Falklands Conflict the B2 was modified into the Vulcans final variant, the B2K tanker. An HDU (Hose Drum Unit) was fitted into the tail in place of the refrigerated electronic counter measures drums. British Aerospace carried out the modifications in just 6 weeks and the aircraft were used in the UK to free up more Victors for duties in the S. Atlantic. This version was a stop gap between the Victor and the Tristar and was not very successful, only staying in service for two years with 50 Squadron at Waddington. Mike Wain witnessed a similar incident to the one shown below where a B2K trailed its hose across the A15 (where the drivers waiting at the lights must have been glad they did, unlike many who used to ignore them at the time), then smashed it through the boundary fence before the overstrain system operated and the hose came away and flailed its way across the threshold!

The Vulcans final fling at Waddington was the Vulcan Display flight which continued from 2020 until 2020. At first XL426 was the primary aircraft, with XH558 taking over in the late 80s. The 3rd aircraft was XH560. The last flight by a Vulcan was by XH558 on 23 March 2020 when it flew to its new private owners at Bruntingthorpe, who eventually hope to fly it again. The reason for the demise of the flight was that all the aircraft were requiring major service and the RAF could no longer justify the cash, spare the expertise, or locate the infrastructure to do this.
The image was taken in Feb 2020 and shows the flight with the trophies won in the previous years season. Rear row l-r Fg Off Chris Williams, Sqn Ldr Ray Leach, Flt Lt Paul Millikin, Flt Lt Dave Bradford, Flt Lt Barry Masefield. Front row l-r Cpl Kev Ball (I shared a house with him for a while), C/T Dave Thorpe, SAC Mark Jordan, Cpl Mick Howarth.

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The next 4 photos are from MOD archives.

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Click this link to read an abridgement of a crew chief's diaries to get a real feel for what it was like to work with and fly in the Vulcan B2.

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The following 4 photos are all provided by Andy and Maggie Leitch, who run the excellent Vulcans in Camera site, including a whole page of Vulcans at Waddington. Recommended!

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Other Vulcan links are listed below:-

• Vulcan images

• The Delta Lady, Vulcan nostalgia and images.

• The Vulcan Operating Company, who want to get Vulcan XH558 flying again.

• XH558 Club, who raise funds to get a Vulcan flying again.

• The Vulcan Trust, who also want to get a Vulcan flying again. Bets on the winners?

• The Mighty Vulcan

• Vulcan XM605, currently residing in the USA. Mass of Vulcan links, page by an ex-Vulcan techie.