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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0857.PDF
28 June 1957 863 Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant B.ls and English Electric Canberra 6.6s of Bomber Command. IN the present world situation, the security of Britain is con-sidered to be most forcefully ensured by the possession ofa mighty deterrent to any aggression. This deterrent takes the form of a force of bombers, armed with nuclear weapons,which stands ready at any hour of any day to take off and strike a crushing blow which should stop the aggressor dead in his tracks.By definition, this deterrent is a defensive weapon; and, para- doxically, it can be regarded as truly effective only if it never hasto go into action, for its main object is to discourage and prevent aggression rather than to counteract it. No one in his right mindwould contemplate the use of such a weapon except in the direst emergency. For years this deterrent has been discussed and awaited; andnow it is definitely in being. Bomber Command has its full com- plement of Vickers-Armstrongs Valiants (four Rolls-Royce Avon)and has formed them into a more powerful striking force than Britain has ever before possessed. The crews are picked to a man,highly trained and fully alive to their tremendous responsibilities. Their skill is proven and their morale is as high as it can be. Evennow the Valiants are being joined in operational service by the first Vulcan B.ls (four Bristol Olympus); and Handley Page VictorB.ls (four Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire) will soon follow. The face of Bomber Command has changed indeed. DuringWorld War 2, a few squadrons were formed with picked crews and given special assignments, No. 617 being a famed example of sucha formation. But today the whole V-force is a picked body equipped with the finest bombers to be found anywhere. It is safeto presume that the nuclear weapons are available for use, and the work which Bomber Command crews have done in the nuclear-weapon tests at Christmas Island and in Australia has given them first-hand experience of the delivery of such weapons. As withmore conventional bombs their marksmanship proved to be excellent.The Valiant force has now been operational for some consider- able time. Though the introduction of this new type of force hasled to quite extensive reorganization, it has not called for any major change in operational thinking. Bomber principles werefully established in World War 2; but, because of die vastly increased potential of the V-force and the need for rapid action,operating methods have been placed more nearly on a war footing. Security precautions have been very greatly increased. All V-forceairfields have been divided into areas of varying secrecy. Anyone whose duty requires him to work on the airfield carries a passbearing his photograph and a list of die specific areas which he may enter. The aircraft themselves are closely guarded at all timesand various compounds are surrounded by high wire fences and lit up at night. This is in some ways similar to the conditionswhich have existed for some years in the wings of the U.S.A.F. The Handley Page Victor B.I, which will shortly be following the Vulcan into squadron service.
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