Classic Lecture Series: The V-Bomber Force, an Overview of its Operational History and Effectiveness

Summary: The V-bombers were the UK’s nuclear delivery system from 1957 to 1969. In this lecture, author and former Vulcan pilot with the V-Force, Wg Cdr Andrew Brookes, tells us the story of the characters who established the Force before going onto judge its effectiveness by taking us through the processes of launching and carrying out a nuclear strike against the Soviet Union and by telling the story of how the V-Force took part in a mission to test the US’s nuclear defence system in 1961. He then concludes on the impact that the V-Force had in raising the profile of the UK abroad. The podcast includes a fascinating post-lecture question and answer in which former members of the V-Force and other raise points and questions on the design and operation of the Vickers Valiant, Handley Page HP80 Victor, and Avro Type 698 Vulcan. The lecture was presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on the 21 November 2002. The podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS and it was digitised thanks to a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society Foundation.