Long before Spock introduced countless Star Trek fans to the planet Vulcan and its intellectual humanoid inhabitants, the Royal Air Force (RAF) had its own Vulcan, the Avro Vulcan.
Unlike Spock’s Vulcan, which was known for its philosophical depth, the RAF’s Vulcan had a different purpose. It was engineered for a more ominous task: to engage in nuclear warfare against the Soviet Union in a catastrophic scenario.
Avro Vulcan: origins and specifications
The Avro Vulcan conducted its inaugural flight on August 30, 1952, and was formally commissioned into the Royal Air Force in September 1956.
As the second of the Royal Air Force’s “V-bombers,” the Vulcan served as a jet-powered delta-wing strategic bomber, following the Vickers Valorant and preceding the Handley Page Vulcan Kedo bomber. These aircraft formed a crucial component of the UK’s nuclear deterrent for 15 years until 1969, when the Royal Navy’s Polar Star submarines assumed this role.
BAE Systems’ historical documentation describes the Vulcan as the most technologically advanced design among those proposed in response to the Department of the Air Force’s B.35/46 specification, though it was perceived as the riskiest option by some.
The Air Ministry publicly lauded the Vulcan in 1958, stating that at its zenith, the aircraft could outmaneuver and outsmart any contemporary fighter squadron. However, the effectiveness of the Soviet missile defense system improved significantly by 1966, prompting Vulcans to transition from high-penetration to low-penetration missions. By 1970, they were entirely removed from nuclear deterrence duties and reassigned to conventional bombing roles in support of NATO operations in Europe.
The B.2 variant of the Vulcan is the sole model to have seen combat service. With a fuselage length of 99 feet 11 inches, a wingspan of 111 feet, and a height of 27 feet 2 inches, it had an empty weight of 83,573 pounds and a maximum takeoff weight of 250,000 pounds. Its top speed reached 645 miles per hour, with a cruise speed of 620 miles per hour or Mach 0.84. Initially designed to carry Blue Danube or Redbeard nuclear gravity bombs, it was later adapted to accommodate 21 conventional 1,000-pound bombs. Defensive armaments were notably absent from the aircraft’s configuration.
The victorious Avro Vulcan: tried and tested
Of course, the apocalyptic nuclear confrontation of World War III was averted due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, yet the Vulcan played a role in the conflict.
The aircraft played a significant role in Britain’s triumph over Argentina in the 1982 Falklands War (known as La Guerra de las Malvinas in Argentina).
The notable segment of the Falklands campaign, dubbed Operation Black Buck, held the distinction for 19 years as the lengthiest bombing mission in military history, covering a staggering range of 6,600 nautical miles with a round-trip flight duration of 16 hours. (This record was later surpassed by a B-2 Spirit “stealth bomber” during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001.)
Operation Black Buck unfolded in seven phases with the aim of striking Port Stanley Airport and disrupting its runways, operational infrastructure, and radar installations. The initial phase occurred on April 30, 1982, with two Avro Vulcan aircraft departing from RAF Ascension Island, escorted by 22 Victor aircraft. One of the V-bombers had to abort the mission due to cabin depressurization, leaving then-Flight Lieutenant Withers and his four-man crew to proceed on a solo mission.
Despite navigating through a perilous lightning storm, the aircraft ultimately reached its target and released 21 bombs, of which 16 detonated. While only one bomb directly hit the runway, its impact was substantial.
In the words of Withers himself:
“We managed to land a bomb on the runway, effectively denying the Argentines the use of that runway for landing and refueling if they intended to attack our ships… It was indeed a surreal experience, being the very first strike of this conflict.” Upon reaching the final rendezvous point before returning home, Withers described the sight of the last Vulcan tanker as “the most beautiful sight in the world.”
The 007 Connection
Thanks to the influence of “the world’s most famous secret agent,” the Avro Vulcan also had its cinematic spotlight. In the 1965 James Bond film “Thunderball,” the main antagonist, Emilio Largo, who was second in command to Ernst Stavro Blofeld in “Spectre,” plotted to kidnap Vulcans to seize their nuclear payloads.
Where Are They Now?
Vulcan ceased active service in 1984. Among the 134 originally assembled production models, 19 are preserved and displayed in museums located across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, these aircraft can be visited at the Strategic Air Command and Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska; the Castle Aviation Museum in Atwater, California; and the Barksdale Global Power Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
