https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handley_Page_Victor
The Handley Page Victor is a British jet-powered strategic bomber, developed and
produced by the Handley Page Aircraft Company, which served during the Cold War.
It was the third and final of the V-bombers operated by the Royal Air Force
(RAF), the other two V-bombers being the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant.
airborne nuclear deterrent. In 1968, the type was retired from the nuclear
mission following the discovery of fatigue cracks, which had been exacerbated by
the RAF's adoption of a low-altitude flight profile to avoid interception.
A number of Victors had received modifications to undertake the strategic
reconnaissance role, employing a combination of radar, cameras, and other
sensors. As the nuclear deterrence mission was given to the Royal Navy's
submarine-launched Polaris missiles in 1969, a large V-bomber fleet was deemed
surplus to requirements. Consequently, many of the surviving Victors were
converted into aerial refuelling tankers. During the Falklands War, Victor
tankers were notably used in the airborne logistics operation to repeatedly
refuel Vulcan bombers on their way to and from the Black Buck raids.
The Victor was the last of the V-bombers to be retired, the final aircraft being
removed from service on 15 October 1993. In its refuelling role, the type had
been replaced by the Vickers VC10 and the Lockheed Tristar.
The Victor was a futuristic-looking, streamlined aircraft, with four turbojet
(later turbofan) engines buried in the thick wing roots. Distinguishing features
of the Victor were its highly swept T-tail with considerable dihedral on the
tail planes, and a prominent chin bulge that contained the targeting radar,
cockpit, nose landing gear unit and an auxiliary bomb aimer's position. It was
originally required by the specification that the whole nose section could be
detached at high altitudes to act as an escape pod, but the Air Ministry
abandoned this demand in 1950.
The Victor had a five-man crew, comprising the two pilots seated side-by-side
and three rearward-facing crew, these being the navigator/plotter, the
navigator/radar operator, and the air electronics officer (AEO). Unlike the
Vulcan and Valiant, the Victor's pilots sat at the same level as the rest of the
crew, thanks to a larger pressurised compartment that extended all the way to
the nose. As with the other V-bombers, only the pilots were provided with
ejection seats; the three systems operators relying on "explosive cushions"
inflated by a CO2 bottle that would help them from their seats and towards a
traditional bail out in the event of high g-loading, but despite this, escape
for the three backseaters was extremely difficult.
While assigned to the nuclear delivery role, the Victor was finished in an
all-over anti-flash white colour scheme, designed to protect the aircraft
against the damaging effects of a nuclear detonation. The white colour scheme
was intended to reflect heat away from the aircraft; paler variations of RAF's
roundels were also applied for this same reason. When the V-bombers were
assigned to the low-level approach profile in the 1960s, the Victors were soon
repainted in green/grey tactical camouflage to reduce visibility to ground
observation; the same scheme was applied to subsequently converted tanker
aircraft.
Role
Strategic bomber or aerial refueling tanker aircraft
National origin
United Kingdom
Manufacturer
Handley Page Limited
Designer
Reginald Stafford
First flight
24 December 1952
Introduction
April 1958
Retired
1993
Status
Retired
Primary user
Royal Air Force
Produced
1952-1963
Number built
86
Unit cost
The Victor was the last of the V bombers to enter service, with deliveries of
B.1s to No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit RAF based at RAF Gaydon,
Warwickshire before the end of 1957. The first operational bomber squadron, 10
Squadron, formed at RAF Cottesmore in April 1958, with a second squadron, 15
Squadron forming before the end of the year. Four Victors, fitted with Yellow
Astor reconnaissance radar, together with a number of passive sensors, were used
to equip a secretive unit, the Radar Reconnaissance Flight at RAF Wyton. The
Victor bomber force continued to build up, with 57 Squadron forming in March
1959 and 55 Squadron in October 1960. At its height, the Victor was
simultaneously operating with six squadrons of RAF Bomber Command.
Specifications (Handley Page Victor B.1)
General characteristics
Crew: 5
Length: 114 ft 11 in (35.05 m)
Wingspan: 110 ft 0 in (33.53 m)
Empty weight: 89,030 lb (40,468 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 205,000 lb (93,182 kg)
(49.27 kN) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 627 mph (545 knots, 1,009 km/h) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
Range: 6,000 mi (5,217 nmi, 9,660 km)
Service ceiling: 56,000 ft (17,000 m)
Armament
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