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Vickers Valiant B1 (WB215) 2nd aircraft
Built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Weybridge, the Vickers Valiant was a four jet, high-altitude, strategic bomber and was the first, and most conservative in design, of the V-Bombers (the others being the Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan).
The first prototype (WB210) was flown at Wisley, just a few miles from Weybridge, on 18th May 1951 although sadly it was lost following an in-flight fire on 12th January 1952.
Two additional prototypes were built, the last of these being the sole Valiant B.Mk 2 (WJ954), which was designed for low-level night penetration missions but not ordered for production.
The production Vickers Valiant B.Mk 1 served in pure bomber, photo-reconnaissance and tanker roles, as detailed below. The Vickers Valiant featured a moderately swept, shoulder-mounted wing on a circular section fuselage with swept cruciform tail surfaces. Power was provided by four Rolls-Royce Avon engines that were buried in the inner wing, with wing root intakes and trailing edge exhausts.
Vickers Valiant BK1 RAF (WZ376) refuelling Vulcan B1 RAF (XH478)
Production deliveries commenced in January 1955 and the type supported Britain’s nuclear weapon development in 1956 and 1957 with a Valiant (XD818) dropping Britain’s first H-bomb on 15 May 1957.
In the interim, intense operations against Egypt in October 1956, four RAF Valiant squadrons conducted high-level strikes against a number of Egyptian airfields.
By modern standards, the Valiant programme was conducted very successfully in a short space of time, with less than four years passing between first flight of the prototype and delivery of production aircraft to service.
Vickers Valiant B2 (WJ954)
The aircraft was reliable in service, but when transitioned to a low-level penetration role in 1964, wing spar fatigue cracks soon became apparent and the type was prematurely withdrawn from service in January 1965.
Variants
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Valiant B.1
39 Built
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39 x pure bomber variants, inc five pre-production Type 674s powered by Avon RA.14 engines (with the same 9,500 lb thrust as the earlier Avon 201) and 34 x Type 706 full-production aircraft, powered by Avon RA.28 204 or 205 engines (with 10,500 lb thrust each), longer tailpipes, and water-methanol injection for takeoff boost power. |
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Valiant B.(PR) Mk 1 (Type 710)
8 Built
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Bomber/photo-reconnaissance aircraft. |
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Valiant B.PR (K) Mk 1 (Type 733)
13 Built
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Bomber/photo-reconnaissance/tanker aircraft |
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Valiant B.(K) Mk 1 (Type 758)
44 Built
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Bomber / tanker aircraft. Tanker variants had a removable tanker system in the bomb bay, and used a hose-and-drogue aerial refuelling system. |
| Valiant B. Mk 2 (Type 673) | Prototype only (WJ954) |
Specification (Valiant B.K.1)
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Powerplant
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Four 10,000 lbst Rolls-Royce Avon RA28 turbojets
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Span
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114ft 4in
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Maximum Weight
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140,000 lb
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Capacity & Armament
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5 crew (plus 2 in tanker role); one 10,000lb bomb, or 21 1,000lb bombs, or two 1,615 Imp gal fuel tanks in bomb bay
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Maximum Speed
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567mph at 30,000ft
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Range (underwing tanks)
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4,500 miles
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Survivors
There appears to be only 1 remaining complete aircraft in the Uk (see below) plus 4 cockpit sections in museums.
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Valiant BK.1
(XD875)
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RAF Museum, Cosford, UK
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