Vickers Valiant Nuclear Bomber

The Vickers Valiant was one of Britain’s nuclear deterrent bombers and was during the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was the first of Britain’s V bomber trio that was made-up by the Valiant, Victor and Vulcan bombers and entered service in 1955. During the Second World War large bombers such as the Lancaster, Stirling and Halifax would drop several tonnes of bombs over Germany and in July 1945, it was decided that the future of Britain’s bomber fleet should consist of high-speed, jet powered bombers that were capable of flying at over 50,000 feet and capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In May 1951 the first Valiant prototype took to the air just 27 months after the initial contract had been issued. Interestingly the pilot for that first flight was also a test pilot on the Spitfire during the 1930s. The following year a Valiant was sadly lost, while studies were being made on the aircraft’s engines that involved them being shut-down and re-started mid-flight. This caused a fire on the starboard wing, which led to the crew having to eject. Unfortunately the co-pilot was killed when he was struck by the tail after ejecting.
The Valiant entered service in 1955 and was powered by four Rolls Royce Avon turbojet engines. Turbojet engines were relatively long and thin, allowing for them to be fitted inside the wing, unlike the turbofan engines of modern airliners which are fitted below the wing.
The Valiant had a top speed of around 550 mph and was kitted-out with a large bomb bay. In 1956 the Valiant saw active service in the Suez Crisis and a number of aircraft flew bombing missions over Egypt from their bases in Malta. That same year the Valiant became the first British aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. In 1957 a modified Valiant became the first V-Bomber to fly non-stop around the world without refuelling. In this year a Valiant also dropped a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.
In 1958 a number of Valiants were converted into tankers and were operated from RAF Marham, in Norfolk. The aircraft was also used as an electronic countermeasure by 18 squadron at RAF Finningley.
From 1962, in response to the Soviet Union’s Surface To Air Missile technology, the V-Force switched from high level bombing to low level bombing, to try and avoid the SAM threat. This led to fatigue and corrosion developing in the Valiant’s wing spar so in 1965, the type was retired from service as a nuclear bomber.

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