Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

Handley Page Victor

The Story of Handley Page Victor

Handley Page Victor forms the final part of the RAF "V-Bomber" triangle, which also includes Vickers Valliant and Avro Vulcan (both entries are described elsewhere on this page). During the Cold War (1947-1991), all three formed Britain's strategic nuclear weapons (given to life at the request of the British Air Force in 1946), and although Victor never intended to shoot in anger, it was used in their role as The later years of the air tanker.

The Victor is known for its elegant lines and streamlined design - its overall appearance is quite different from its contemporaries.

Development

Victor started life with "HP. 80", an early Handley Page design with exceptional height capability and speed. The clear arrangement of the wings was provided by Godfrey Lee, who toured the remaining plans for German aircraft after the war with Germany.

After the trip, Lee returned to England and designed the Crescent Wing concept. Two prototypes were built in April 1948. To test the effectiveness of this new wing, a radio-controlled glider called the HP. 87 was built at 1/3 scale. Unfortunately, the test plane crashed on its maiden flight.

This brought the project back to the point where the Air Ministry required a full-scale manned version - which became the HP. 88. HP. The 88 design includes a Supermarine Attacker fuselage mated to a crescent-shaped wing. The rear of the attacker was redesigned in a traditional elevated "T" configuration.

Although all of this work demonstrates the effectiveness of the original HP wing design. The 80 has evolved into something that Supermarine attackers cannot faithfully represent, effectively negating any progress made on HP. 88, itself lost in a major flight on August 26, 1951.

Despite the setbacks, the first 25 Victor bombers were ordered before either of the first two prototypes were completed.

The first of the two HPs. On Christmas Eve 1952, when the WB771 took off from Boscombe Down (WB775 became the second prototype), 80 prototypes flew. The first flight proved that the design was a success.

Despite performing well at the 1953 Farnborough Airshow, the WB771 also lost its life to a tail failure the following July. The WB775 was modified to accommodate a reinforced tail and first flew on September 11, 1954. However, this new fin made the design heavy, so the production Victor's fuselage was lengthened by a full 42 inches and the fin was shortened to compensate.

The instrument panel was repositioned with feedback during testing, and the crew entry/exit doors were positioned more safely away from the engine.

The cockpit provides ample space for the pilot and co-pilot. The front view is dominated by the sloping window frames, while the main dashboard takes up the rest of the area. A centrally located console sits between the pilots. Crew accommodation is equivalent to two pilots, a pair of navigators and a dedicated electronic systems officer.

Despite the crew of five, only the pilot and co-pilot were given ejection seats.

Armed

As a conventional bomber, the Victor can deploy approximately 34 x 1,000 lb bombs. Similar to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the Victor can be used in carpet bombing missions to suppress or destroy enemy formations and structures through sheer force.

Ammunition is stored in the internal bomb bay and can also be used in place of weapons to increase fuel, significantly increasing overall range.

Given that Victor was only designed as a regular operator in a secondary role, the system was fully integrated to carry and fire nuclear weapons munitions - the aircraft's primary role. Such nuclear weapons, if any, could include Britain's yellow solar thermonuclear bomb or one inspired by the United States. Aside from these offensive implementations, the crew had few defensive weapons.

Of course, that was the Cold War, so speed and altitude were everything for a bomberthat isuntil the enemy had more sophisticated radars and surface-to-air guided missiles.

Operational Services

Victory served as a tanker in Argentina during the 1982 Falklands War. The victor gave RAF bombers much-needed flight fuel to help heavyweight bombers hit ground targets in Argentina. Additionally, the aircraft played a similar role in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq.

These victors will serve on both American and British aircraft in the conflict, and will no longer serve in that role (and any other role) in the British military since 1993.

Conclusion

The final point of the V-Bomber triangle - albeit a sketchy stage of development - proved to be the pinnacle of British Cold War bomber design. The aircraft demonstrated its uniqueness in form and function and captured the world's attention by providing the RAF with a high-altitude, long-range, high-flying aircraft. Progression through on-site opponents eventually changed the intended role somewhat, and Time completely eliminated her potential role in future roles.

At the very least, the Victor proved to be a special kind of aircraft that offered a futuristic style to design complementary capabilities that made it a powerful factor in the UK's strategic nuclear air force.