Vickers
V-force: End of the deterrent
As the 1960s drew on, times changed for the ‘V-force’. No more was it a triumvirate of types, and no longer was the strategic nuclear deterrent to the fore
A Valiant start to the V-Force
The Valiant nuclear bomber was the first aircraft used by the RAF as an in-flight refuelling tanker. The details of this and other developments with this V-bomber were detailed in the July 29, 1960 issue of ‘The Aeroplane and Astronautics’
Valiant: The first V-Bomber
Overshadowed by the Vulcan and Victor, the Valiant was the only one of the V-bombers to drop a nuclear bomb, the first to see combat and the RAF’s initial operational tanker. However, its career was cut short by structural problems, as Stephen Skinner describes
Three Nations, Four Engines: East African Airways VC10s
Jointly owned by three governments, East African Airways was the only non-UK Super VC10 operator. The type was well suited to its operating conditions, but the airline struggled to compete with larger carriers and eventually collapsed, as Barry Lloyd explains
British Caledonian VC10s
Barry Lloyd outlines the history of the Vickers VC10 in British Caledonian service.
Passengers enjoy high-speed VC10 run at Bruntingthorpe
The VC10 Preservation Group, which maintains Vickers VC10 K.4 ZD241 in ground running condition at Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, was able to take 36 passengers for a high-speed taxi run on May 27, during the venue’s Cold War Jets Open Day.
Interview: Valiant pilot who dropped the UK's first H-bomb
Simon Vaughan recalls a memorable interview with Gp Capt Kenneth Hubbard, the man who dropped Britain’s first H-bomb
The proposals to develop a double-deck VC10
With proposals for a double-deck VC10, the British Aircraft Corporation was some way ahead of its time. Bruce Hales-Dutton details the incredible plan
Why the baby VC10 never flew
The VC11 or Type 1400 was the last, now forgotten, commercial transport from the great Vickers company before it was merged out of existence
V-Force Reconnaissance
The role of Britain’s V-Force deterrent is well known but less so the reconnaissance versions of the three British bombers. Dr Kevin Wright examines the wide variety of often secret reconnaissance tasks these aircraft performed for the RAF.