The legendary Avro Vulcan of the British strategic air force

The Avro Vulcan, also known as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, is a strategic bomber developed by Hawker Siddeley and AV Roe & Co (Avro).

The aircraft was developed in the late 1940s before entering mass production in 1956.

During the period from 1956 to 1965, about 136 Avro Vulcans were built and assigned to the Royal Air Force.

The Avro Vulcan bomber was developed in several variants such as the Vulcan B.1, Vulcan B.2 and Vulcan K.2, of which the most popular was the Vulcan B.2. The designs were overseen by the legendary Chief Engineer Roy Chadwick, who later became a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire .

The Avro Vulcan has a length of 29.59 m, a wingspan of 30.18 m and a height of 7.95 m. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 77,111 kg.

For maneuverability, the aircraft is equipped with four Bristol Olympus jet engines with a capacity of 11,000 lbf each, helping it reach a speed of 1,038 km/h and a range of 4,171 km.

The Avro Vulcan had a normal crew of five (two pilots, two navigators and an electronics operator), of which only the pilot and co-pilot were equipped with ejection seats.

In terms of weapons systems, the Avro Vulcan can carry 21 conventional bombs with a total maximum weight of about 9.5 tons.

In addition, the Avro Vulcan bomber can deploy nuclear weapons when necessary. The Avro Vulcan, along with two other aircraft, the Handley Page Victor and the Vickers Valiant, served as the Royal Air Force's nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. It flew several times with a nuclear bomb called Yellow Sun.

Unlike the designs of other bombers of the time, the Avro Vulcan had large delta wings and jet engines located entirely at the tail of the aircraft.

Besides, it was also one of the first strategic bombers in the world equipped with an in-flight refueling system. This was a modern technology at that time.

The Royal Air Force's Avro Vulcan strategic bomber fleet was officially retired in March 1984, when its role had almost faded during the final stages of the Cold War.

The Royal Air Force deemed it unnecessary to maintain a fleet of expensive bombers such as the Avro Vulcan. Until 2015, the Avro Vulcan bomber was only regularly displayed at international air shows alongside the Royal Air Force's aerobatic display squadron.

At the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT-2015) airshow, the last Avro Vulcan bomber (serial number XH588) of the Royal Air Force made its final flight before leaving the skies.