days every three months or so. It was good
practice, because it was supposed to be
like the Russian Steppe. Different seasons
made a big impact. The presence of ice and
snow during the autumn, winter and spring
continually changed the H2S radar picture
and presented a challenge for navigation.”
From 1965 a General Dynamics AN/
APN-171 terrain-following radar (TFR) was
introduced in the Vulcan B.2. Adrian said: “It
was useful because when flying low-level it
warned you of rising ground ahead but was
prone to ‘drop out’ unexpectedly.” The Vulcans
generally flew high-low-high profiles, the crew
ride at low level could be very rough. He
continued: “The rear compartment was dark
and hot, especially when wearing immersion
suits. It was like sitting inside a dustbin, with
the lid on and having someone keep hitting it
with a sledgehammer. It wasn’t enjoyable just
something you got used to.”
The switch to low level brought application
of the distinctive grey-green upper-surface
camouflage and a new nuclear weapon after
the withdrawal of Blue Steel. Vulcans carried
the retarded version of the WE177 bomb but
alternatively loaded with up to 20 conventional
1,000lb (453kg) high explosive, or cluster
munitions. Adrian: “We had two nuclear roles.
The Vulcans were declared to NATO and
we were part of SACEUR’s [Supreme AlliedCommander Europe] nuclear capability. In
that role, we were more a tactical force, mainly
to hit secondary targets – troop concentrations
and so on. As part of the independent UK
nuclear deterrent our crew was tasked against
Moscow itself. If we survived the attack we
were to recover to Tehran.”
Overseas training deployments continued
as a regular feature for 617 personnel. In July
1972 Adrian Reynolds’ crew completed their
‘round the world’ tour, flying from Scampton
to Cyprus, to Dubai onto Gan, Singapore and
Australia for live bombing exercises. The
return to Scampton was by way of Wake
Island, Hawaii, Sacramento in California and
then Goose Bay. Operations closer to home
saw visits to Malta where Vulcans would
fly standard NATO low-level routes around
Greece and over central Italy.ELECTRONIC WARFARE
Sqn Ldr Julian Grenfell was an air electronics
officer (AEO), with 617 Sqn from November
1966 to March 1969. The AEO’s three main
tasks on the Vulcan were: managing the
aircraft’s powerful electrical system, its UHF,
VHF and HF communications and – most
importantly in wartime – operating the ECM
equipment.
The AEO sat in the rear crew
compartment, just behind and slightly belowthe flight deck. Julian recalls his ‘office’: “In
many ways you didn’t notice the noise from
the engines, you were used to them. It was
dark, but it was your office and you did your
job, you didn’t notice the forward movement.
The Vulcan had a three-phase electrical
system and its three-phase DC converter
produced a continuous tone over the
intercom. If the tone changed, or [anything]
interrupted it, it indicated that something
might be wrong.”
The AEO’s key role was operation of the
Vulcan’s defensive electronics. The systems
were manual and AEO’s had to determine
the types of radar threats detected –
surveillance, tracking or acquisition – and
then use an appropriate electronic jamming
system, or drop chaff, to degrade enemy
radar. “You had a whole range of passive
and active systems available, including the
rearward-looking radar, Red Steer, to detect
fighters approaching from behind.
“The AEO would listen to the ARI
18105 Blue Saga, later the Marconi ARI
18228, to determine which Soviet radars
were looking at the Vulcan. This had
a small screen that gave us a direction
from where the signal was originating.
Additionally, it indicated the signal’s band
type, accompanied by an audio sound
which enabled you to identify the type of46 Aviation News incorporating Jets May 2018No.617 Sqn started receiving the Vulcan B.2 in
September 1961. AirTeamImages.com/Caz CaswellNo.617’s Vulcan B.2
XL384 over Niagara
Falls in 1965. MoD42-47_dambusters_617_vulcansDC.mfDC.indd 46 06/04/2018 15:31