Avro Vulcan XM597
See the world's first delta winged bomber on display outside at
National Museum of Flight, East Fortune.
Cold war deterrent
A third of Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent, 'the V-Force'
of the Fifties and Sixties, the Vulcan was the world's first delta
winged bomber when it first flew in 1952. Carrying an internal
warload of 21,000lbs, the nuclear role was enhanced with the
carriage of the Blue Steel air-launched missile from 1963 to
1967. Due for retirement in 1982, the Falklands War was an
operational swan song for the Vulcan.
Vulcan XM597 landing at East Fortune in 1984.
Falklands War veteran
Deployed in the suppression of enemy air defences role,
XM597 is only one of two Vulcans used in anger. The other XM607
dropped bombs on Port Stanley airfield in the Falkland
Islands. XM597 made the headlines when, due to a fractured
in-flight refuelling probe, the Vulcan diverted to Rio de Janeiro.
After seven days internment the aircraft and crew were released. On
the nose can be seen two mission markings and a Brazillian flag
commemorating her unscheduled stopover. XM597 flew into East
Fortune in 1984.
