Overview
The Vulcan was one of Britain's three Cold War "V-bombers", built to carry nuclear weapons. Its huge triangular delta wing made it surprisingly agile for a bomber and gave it a distinctive howl at airshows.
It flew its only combat missions in 1982 during the Falklands War, when the "Black Buck" raids flew about 12,000 km round trip from Ascension Island to bomb Port Stanley airfield. The RAF retired its last Vulcans in 1984.
Specifications
Dimensions
| Length | 29.59 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 33.83 m |
| Height | 8.00 m |
| Wing area | 368.3 m² |
Weights & fuel
| Empty weight | 37,144 kg |
|---|---|
| Max. take-off weight | 92,534 kg |
Performance
| Max. speed | 1,038 km/h |
|---|---|
| Max. Mach | Mach 0.96 |
| Range | 4,170 km |
| Service ceiling | 17,000 m |
Crew & capacity
| Crew | 5 |
|---|
Powerplant
| Engines | 4 |
|---|---|
| Engine model | Bristol Siddeley Olympus 301 |
| Thrust (each) | 88.9 kN |
Figures are compiled from public sources and may be approximate; they can vary by variant and configuration.
Did you know?
The restored Vulcan XH558 flew at British airshows until 2015.
Photos
Photo 1: Su Butcher from Essex, United Kingdom / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Some text and images come from Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA licences.
