While the Valiant may have had a relatively short operational life, in those few years the bomber made a considerable contribution to Britain’s nuclear deterrent. It also pioneered the RAF’s air-to-air refuelling capability and obtained vital strategic intelligence in its reconnaissance role.
Three men who helped to shape the early days of the V-force are profiled here. They flew the RAF’s first four-jet bomber and the last of a long line of pure military types from Vickers.
Arthur Steele was still a teenager when he completed his pilot training in Canada. He went on to fly Mosquitos during the closing months of the war in Burma and then during the post-war troubles in Indonesia. Later he instructed at the Central Flying School.
After converting to Canberras he flew with 617 Squadron before becoming one of the early pilots to join the new V-force. He became one of the most experienced Valiant pilots so was selected in September 1956 to join 49 Squadron for Operation Grapple, the testing of Britain’s first H-bomb.
The aim of Grapple was to test the performance of nuclear weapons dropped from V-bombers. The site chosen for this unique event was Malden Island, 400 miles south of Christmas Island in the South Pacific.
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