Vickers Limited Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd
Vickers Valiant B.1 V-Bomber
Vickers Limited
Vickers Valiant B.1
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| Valiant XD873 in 1962 | |
| Role | Strategic bomber or aerial refueling tanker |
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| Manufacturer | Vickers-Armstrongs |
| Designer | George Edwards |
| First flight | 18 May 1951 |
| Introduction | 1955 |
| Retired | January 1965 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1951–1957 |
| Number built | 107 |
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History Vickers Limited Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd
Vickers Valiant B.1 V-Bomber
The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response to Specification B.35/46 issued by the Air Ministry for a nuclear-armed jet-powered bomber. The Valiant was the first of the V bombers to become operational, and was followed by the Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan. The Valiant is the only V bomber to have dropped live nuclear weapons (for test purposes)
In 1962, in response to advances in Soviet Union surface-to-air missile (SAM) technology, the V-force fleet including the Valiant changed from high-level flying to flying at low-level to avoid high altitude SAM attacks. In 1964 it was found that Valiants showed fatigue and crystalline corrosion in wing rear spar attachment forgings. In late 1964 a repair programme was underway, but a change of Government led to the new Minister of Defence Denis Healey deciding that the Valiant should be retired from service,
Production
In April 1951, an initial production order for 25 Valiant B.1 (Bomber Mark 1) aircraft was placed by the Ministry of Supply on behalf of the RAF. The timing of this order was key to establishing production quickly. Due to shortages of steel and other materials while setting up an assembly line at Brooklands, substantial portions of the production jigs for the Valiant were made from concrete. The first five Valiants produced were completed to a pre-production standard, the first being WP199. On 21 December 1953, the production aircraft conducted its first flight; this had again occurred within the schedule that Edwards had promised
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Vickers Limited Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd
Vickers Valiant B.1 V-Bomber
Vickers Limited Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd
Vickers Valiant B.1 V-Bomber
General Info
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- Crew: five – two pilots, two navigators (one navigator plotter + one navigator radar), air electronics officer
- Length: 108 ft 3 in (32.99 m)
- Wingspan: 114 ft 4 in (34.85 m)
- Height: 32 ft 2 in (9.80 m)
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Powerplant
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- Wing area: 2,362 sq ft (219.4 m2)
- Empty weight: 75,881 lb (34,419 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: (63,503 kg)
- Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Avon RA28 Mk 204 turbojets, 10,000 lbf (44 kN) thrust each
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Performance
- Maximum speed: 567 mph (912 km/h, 493 kn) at 30,000 ft (9,100 m)
- Range: 4,500 mi (7,200 km, 3,900 nmi) with underwing tanks
- Service ceiling: 54,000 ft (16,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 4,000 ft/min (20 m/s)
Armament
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- Bombs: **
1 × 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) Blue Danube nuclear bomb or- 1 × B28 nuclear bomb or
- 21 × 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs
- Bombs: **
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Links to Youtube & Others
Valiants of No. 543 Squadron at RAF Wyton were modified to serve in the photographic reconnaissance role. In one notable operation in 1965, Valiants of No. 543 Squadron photographed around 400,000 square miles (1,000,000 km2) of Rhodesia across an 11-week period.
Vickers Valiant B.1
V-Bomber
In 1956, Vickers had performed a series of low level tests in WZ383 to assess the type for low level flight at high speed.
Youtube Link
In 1956, Vickers had performed a series of low level tests in WZ383 to assess the type for low level flight at high speed.
Read more in Vickers-Armstrongs Limited
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