Ghost of a flea: Vulcan

? David Bowie: Sense of Doubt | Main | Jenna James ?

October 22, 2007

Vulcan

I still remember the sound of a Vulcan passing close overhead...

In 1961, four nuclear bombers entered United States airspace, flying high above the maximum altitude of the defending American fighters. Three jammed the ground-based and airborne radars directed at them. The fourth arrived unchallenged and unforeseen, over New York City.

The aircraft was an Avro Vulcan bomber, capable of carrying a 21,000lb nuclear payload. It looked like a scary version of Concorde. The New York stunt was part of an Anglo-American military exercise which proved the plane's ability to deliver nuclear bombs wherever they might be needed, whoever the enemy. The RAF called it "the tin triangle".

The Avro Vulcan bomber flies again after a fourteen year absence from the skies* (hat tip to the Armored Facilities Manager). Some googling lead me to the Vulcan's moment of glory. While the aircraft was designed to deliver a bucket of sunshine as part of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent, the Vulcan saw action as a conventional bomber in the war to liberate the Falklands. Operation Black Buck - 1st May to 12 June 1982 - was an astonishing logistical accomplishment and, at over 4,000 nautical miles, was the longest bombing raid in history.**

* BBC video of the Vulcan here.
** More details and photos here. I particularly enjoy the Brazilian flag alongside her attack markings.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at October 22, 2007 06:57 AM

Comments

I love the Vulcan. An amazing huge big craft. much more impressive to see and hear and otherwise bear witness to than a B52 or Sov equivalent..

Posted by: Gorthos at October 22, 2007 09:57 AM

The Victor and the Vulcan have a retro-cool badass look about them -- almost "Stealth before there was stealth".

Hard to believe these guys were of a similar vintage to the B-52; they look a lot more contemporary than the BUFF. At the time of that 1961 exercise, they were nearly a decade old.

Posted by: Chris Taylor at October 22, 2007 03:12 PM

I am left with a crippling sense of loss for what England used to be.

Posted by: Ghost of a flea at October 22, 2007 03:28 PM

Look at it this way, Flea -- what England used to be, the Anglosphere (collectively) is now.

The motherland has faltered, but the branch plants are still going. The civilization is strong(-ish).

Yes, cold comfort. I think it's sad, too. And I'm not even English or British. (Though I suppose I was arguably born a British subject.)

Posted by: Ben (The Tiger in Exile) at October 23, 2007 06:13 PM

britannia hasn't lost all of her verve just yet.

Cranfield Aerospace, of Bedford, built this: a subscale demonstrator of Boeing's future blended wing body airlifter/tanker, the X-48B.

Posted by: Chris Taylor at October 26, 2007 11:50 AM