These generated 17,000lb st (75.6kN) of
thrust. The B.2’s distinctive cranked ‘phase
2c’ wing, had been strengthened, was
thinner, but better suited to the Vulcan’s now
low-level role. The switch to low level had
been necessitated by strengthening Soviet
air defences, especially deployment of the
SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missile.
New navigation and electronic equipment
was fitted, including a Decca Mk.4 with
rolling map, three ARI 18205 Red Shrimp
jammers (later an ARI 18205 L-band
jammer), two chaff dispensers, an AR
I5952 Red Steer tail radar, a Blue Saga
(ARI 18105) radar warning receiver (RWR),
later replaced by the distinctive square
tail-mounted ARI 18228 RWR in the early
1970s. On November 19, 1962, the unit’s
XL319 was one of three Scampton B.2s that
arrived at RAAF Pearce in Perth, Australia,
a fourth arriving a few days later. As well as
participating in formation flypasts with RAAF
F-86 Sabres for the opening and closing
ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games,
the Vulcans deployed to RAAF Edinburgh
and visited New Zealand.BLUE STEEL ERA
Dispersal and emergency scramble
exercises were a regular part of life on all
Vulcan units. The first Blue Steel stand-
off nuclear missiles arrived with No.617 in
October 1962, with the unit becoming the
first operational squadron with the weapon
in February 1963. Blue Steels was originally
conceived to be launched from high level,
where they had a range of about 200 miles,
well outside the SA-2s range. By the time
it entered service the transition to low-
level operations meant it was fired from
around 1,000ft. This reduced the bomber’s
vulnerability to air defences, but in theprocess shrunk the Blue Steel’s range to
around 35 miles.
The missile could also be delivered by
an ‘unpowered toss’ towards the target at
about 12,000ft. As part of Operation Fresno,
a series of tests for Blue Steel capabilities,
a 617 Vulcan launched an inert warhead
missile at the Aberporth range in Wales on
July 7, 1967. It achieved an error of 515 yards
from 35 miles.
Flt Lt Graham Gaston was a ‘first tourist’
when he joined 617 in October 1969 as a
radar navigator; he explained his role setting
up and monitoring the missile. “The missionprofile required us to fly at high level then
gradually drop down. As we approached the
release point we launched the missile while
flying straight and level. The Blue Steel flew
much like a conventional cruise missile we
see today”
It proved a temperamental weapon
and involved complex ground handling.
Powered by an Armstrong Siddeley Stentor
Mk.101 rocket motor, it burned an extremely
volatile combination of hydrogen peroxide
and kerosene. Blue Steel was retired on
December 31, 1970, when the UK national
deterrent role officially passed to the Polarissubmarine fleet. No.617 flew its last mission
with the weapon on December 21, 1970.
In preparation for the eventually abortive
employment of the US GAM-87 Skybolt
nuclear missile to replace Blue Steel,
approximately 43 Vulcan B.2s were fitted with
more powerful Olympus 301 engines that
developed up to 20,000lb (88.9kN) of thrust
and gave the aircraft huge power.NAVIGATING THE VULCAN
Graham Gaston recalled the H2S Mk.9/9A
radar, the heart of the Vulcan’s navigation
and bombing system (NBS). “It was basically
an easy system to use, the technology
was already old, dating back to wartime. It
could be temperamental and certainly had
its quirks. The radar display required good
interpretation skills to use it effectively.”
Flt Lt Adrian Reynolds joined 617 Sqn in
October 1971 as a radar navigator, a little
after the withdrawal of Blue Steel. His job
was to operate the Vulcan’s NBS too. Adrian
described how: “...we operated in both high
and low-level roles, normally down to 500ft,
but sometimes as low as 250ft, although
the higher we flew the more the H2S radar
would see. It was a very good system.”
Precise position fixes were obtained using
the H2S radar and these were fed directly
to the nav plotter’s ground position indicator
(GPI) system. Bombing was carried out
using the H2S, either aiming directly at the
target or clearly defined offset aiming points.
Operators worked from a 12in screen and,
once experienced, could see coastal outlines,
inlets, rivers, railway lines and other major
features that provided a good radar return.
Adrian: “When operated at its most sensitive
settings, you could pick out features like the
stanchions on bridges. We went to Goose
Bay in Canada regularly, probably for 10http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 45“Afterwards,
whenever asked
what I wanted to
fly next, I just kept
saying, Vulcan,
Vulcan, Vulcan.”
This 617 Sqn aircraft, Vulcan B.2 XL425, joined the unit for a 12-month stay in November- After a spell with 27 Sqn, it re-joined 617 in April 1974. It was scrapped at
Scampton on April 13, 1982. The Aviation Photo Company
B.2 XL317 again, this time after receiving its dark
green/light grey camouflage which was more
suitable for its later low-level strike role.
The Aviation Photo Company42-47_dambusters_617_vulcansDC.mfDC.indd 45 06/04/2018 15:31