Handley Page H.P.80 Victor

With the intention that the RAF should provide Britain's strategic nuclear deterrent, design work began at Handley Page in 1947 on a long-range four-engined medium bomber that would be able to carry nuclear or conventional weapons internally. The Victor was the last of three V-bombers (named by Sir Winston Churchill) to enter RAF service, preceded by the Valiant and Vulcan.

All three designs were, to some degree, unconventional, for the requirement to carry a heavy payload of weapons at high speed/altitude over long-ranges was not easy to satisfy at a time when turbine power plants were still very limited in thrust. The Handley Page design was a cantilever mid-wing monoplane with leading-edge sweep-back which varied from root to wingtip, calling this configuration a "crescent" wing. The tail unit (in T-tail configuration) had all-swept surfaces, and the structure of this all-metal aircraft was conventional throughout. Unusual features included an eight-wheel bogie for each of the main landing-gear units, and hydraulically operated air brakes on each side of, and a large braking parachute stowed in, the tail cone.

The first prototype made its maiden flight on 24 December 1952. The first production B.1, each with four 48.93kN Bristol Siddeley Sapphire turbojets began to enter RAF service with No 232 Operational Conversion Unit in November 1957. The first Victor squadron (No 10) became fully operational at Cottesmore in the spring of 1958. Formation of the planned total of four Victor B.1 squadrons was completed early in 1960. BAA aircraft had ECM and other equipment changes.

B.2 Victors began to enter RAF service (initially with No 139 Squadron) in February 1962. These had more powerful engines, increased wing span, enlarged air intakes, and introduced a "Window'"dispenser pod on the trailing edge of each wing, No 139 Squadron was the first to become operational with the Blue Steel nuclear stand-off bomb in February 1964. Victor squadrons were subsequently specified for low-altitude in addition to high-altitude attack.

Following the B.2's entry into service, Mk 1 aircraft were converted to BK.1 and BK.1A flight-refuelling tankers. Victor B(SR).2 strategic-reconnaissance aircraft entered service with No 543 Squadron at RAF Wyton in the autumn of 1965. These aircraft had the capability to radar map an area of up to 1,942,490km² during a six-hour period. All Mk 2 versions have since been converted to K.2 tankers, with the first delivered to the RAF on 8 May 1974.

Handley Page H.P.80 Victor on YOUTUBE

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