V-BOMBERS: VULCAN, VICTOR AND VALIANT - BRITAIN'S AIRBONE NUCLEAR DETERRENT

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Description

Following the end of the Second World War, Britain developed and maintained a huge fleet of technically advanced and futuristic-looking jet bomber aircraft.

The sole purpose of the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant was to deliver nuclear weapons into the heart of the Soviet Union should the need arise, with crews being kept on constant alert. This is the story of how and why such a potent force was created, and subsequently dismantled, revealing many facts previously shrouded in secrecy.

Vulcan, Victor and Valiant - three of the most distinctive and impressive aircraft ever to have been produced in Great Britain. Immensely capable, each of these bombers was designed with one objective in mind - to deliver nuclear bombs into the heart of the Soviet Union. Futuristic in appearance, they were developed less than five years after the end of the Second World War, when Britain was secretly preparing her first atomic weapons.

A huge fleet of V-bombers was maintained in top condition, ready to fly their deadly missions with little advance warning. Continual exercises ensured the crews were fully trained for a task which their very existence and readiness was intended to avoid. Had they gone to war, it would have been unlikely that Britain would have survived in a recognisable form by the time of their return. Their raison d'être was deterrence, and history has shown how successful this policy was. The full story is told in detail, including how and why the V-force was created, through to its demise.

Following the transfer of Britain's nuclear deterrent from the RAF to the Royal Navy, the Vulcan and Victor remained in RAF service. Although, thankfully, neither type was ever called upon to perform its primary role, the Vulcan was at the forefront of Britain's liberation of the Falkland Islands in 1982. A lone aircraft carried out the longest range bombing mission in history to disable the islands' only runway. In the Gulf War of 1991 Victor tankers carried out countless refuelling missions throughout the conflict.

Today, relics of the V-force are scattered throughout the UK in the form of abandoned airfields, former bomb stores and missile sites, and a handful of aircraft which have survived as museum exhibits. Tim Laming is an experienced aviation writer and photographer with several books to his credit. He counts himself lucky to have flown as a crew member in many combat aircraft, from the Phantom and Harrier to the Jaguar, Lightning, Buccaneer and Hornet. He lives in Sheffield.

OTHER BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR 

• The Vulcan Story 

• RAF Fighter Pilot 

• Tiger Squadrons 

• Swing Wings 

• Fight's On 

• The Royal Air Force Manual 

• C-130 Hercules