The Vickers 667 Valiant was a multi engine British bomber aircraft from the Cold War. It was developed at the beginning of the 1950s as a nuclear bomber, based on a requirement from March 1947, just like the Avro Vulcan and the Handley Page Victor, which were the three V-bombers of the Royal Air Force.
Design[]
The Valiant is a shoulder-wing bomber with compound swept wings and swept back tail surfaces, with a mid set variable-incidence tailplane. The Tricycle landing gear has two wheels on each unit, with the nose unit retracting rearwards, and the main units retracting outwards into the wings. The bomber was powered by four Rolls-Royce RA.28 Avon 204 jet engines, each with a power of 10,500 lb st (44.7 kN), which are mounted in the wing roots.[1]
History[]
Development[]
The first flight took place on 18th May 1951. The Valiant was unveiled publicly in the same year at Farnborough Air Show. All in all about 107 aircraft have been built until August 1957.
Operational Service[]
In December 1964, the whole fleet was grounded because of crack initiation. The only survivor is the XD 818, which can be visited at the Royal Air Force museum in Cosford. The Valiant was the last aircraft to be built by Vickers.
References[]
- ↑ Taylor, John W. R. Bomber Aircraft of the World (Hippo Books no 7). Longacre Press. 1962 Page 120