Vulcan 607

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The tankers were themselves capable of being refuelled in flight, which meant that it was possible to set up relays of aircraft. He made his approach at low level, dropping to 300 feet (91m) before climbing to 1,000 feet (300m) for the bomb run 40 miles (64km) from the target.

these features were incorporated into the Smiths Military Flight System (MFS), the pilots' components being: two beam compasses; two director-horizons; and an Mk. A second 707A, WZ736, and a two-seat 707C, WZ744, were also constructed, but they played no part in the 698's development. Martin had never been airborne in a Vulcan carrying less fuel than he was as Vulcan XM607 closed in on the final refuelling rendezvous.To increase the mission range and flight time for Vulcan operations, in-flight refuelling capabilities were added from 1959 onwards; several Valiant bombers were refurbished as tankers to refuel the Vulcans. Beetham initially proposed an attack in which a single Vulcan would drop seven 1,000-pound (450kg) bombs. The bulk of the equipment was carried in a large, extended tail cone, and a flat ECM aerial counterpoise plate was mounted between the starboard tailpipes.

The aircraft was fitted with an enlarged wing of 121ft (37m) span with increased fuel capacity; additional fuel tanks in a dorsal spine; a new main undercarriage to carry an all-up-weight of 339,000lb (154,000kg); and reheated Olympus 301s of 30,000lbf (130kN) thrust.

The visual bomb-aimer's compartment could be fitted with a T4 (Blue Devil) bombsight, [76] in many B. later being sold to British Aerospace for preservation, being delivered to Woodford on 12 March 1983. The target for Black Buck One was the main runway at Port Stanley Airport and as planned, on the morning of 1 May 1982, one of the twenty-one 1,000lb bombs scored a direct hit in the centre of the runway. However, long-range flights over the unfamiliar South Atlantic Ocean necessitated upgrades to the Victors' navigational equipment, notably the installation of the Delco Carousel inertial navigation system and the Omega navigation system.

An air-to-air instructor from the operational conversion unit responsible for training personnel to operate Victor tankers was added to each Vulcan crew during operational missions; this officer was responsible for supervising the refuelling contacts. Their release was controlled by a panel at the navigator's station, known as a 90-way, that monitored the electrical connections to each bomb, and was said to provide 90 different sequences for releasing the 1,000-pound bombs. The Vulcans' ECM systems proved to be effective at jamming Argentine radars; while a Vulcan was within the theatre, other British aircraft in the vicinity had a reduced chance of coming under effective fire. VX770 went into a dive with the starboard wing on fire and struck the ground, killing three occupants of a controllers' caravan and all four crew on board. With insufficient fuel to reach its base on Ascension Island, the pilot discarded classified information over the Atlantic Ocean and diverted to Rio de Janeiro.

Secondary electrical systems were 28 V DC, single-phase 115 V AC at 1600Hz, and three-phase 115 V AC at 400Hz, driven by transformers and inverters from the main system. The Vulcan's mission was quickly followed up by strikes against anti-air installations, flown by British Aerospace Sea Harriers from Royal Navy aircraft carriers.

The RAF's tanker planes were mostly converted Handley Page Victor bombers with similar range, so they too had to be refuelled in the air. W. Maurice-Jones assumed command of the Victor detachment at Ascension until 22 April, when he was relieved by Wing Commander A. L. Goldsmith noted that "Due to its all-wing shape, small vertical fin, and buried engines, at some angles [the Avro Vulcan] was nearly invisible to radar". at Avro, led by technical director Roy Chadwick and chief designer Stuart Davies; the type designation was Avro 698.

Political pressure for a Canberra replacement came to a head in 1962, by which time agile, supersonic bombers/strategic strike aircraft, such as the North American A-5 Vigilante, BAC TSR-2, General Dynamics F-111, had become available.