Editing V bomber (section)

==Aerial refuelling==
In addition to the roles for which they were designed, all three V bombers served as [[aerial refuelling]] tankers at one time or another. The Valiant was the RAF's first large-scale tanker.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|pp=153–154}} The probe and drogue system for aerial refuelling was developed by Sir [[Alan Cobham]],{{sfn|Lattimer-Needham|1945|pp=556–560}} but the Air Ministry doubted its value so long as Britain maintained bases around the world.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|pp=153–154}}{{sfn|Brookes|1982|p=141}} However, on 8 January 1954, the [[Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Air Staff]] decided that the V bombers should be capable of both aerial refuelling and acting as tankers, and an Operational Requirement (OR3580) was issued in 1956 for an electronic positioning system to facilitate aerial refuelling.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|pp=153–154}} Initially, there were no aircraft to perform the role, but two new types of Valiant were ordered. Fourteen B(PR)K.1 versions were produced. These were a tanker variant of the photo-reconnaissance model, with a hose drum unit (HDU) in the bomb bay. The final production model of the Valiant was the BK.1 version, which had a {{convert|4500|lb}} fuel tank in the front of the bomb bay and an HDU in the rear.{{sfn|Brookes|1982|p=141}} Some 44 were built.<ref name="Thunder and Lightnings">{{cite web |url=http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/valiant/history.php |title=Vickers Valiant – History |website=thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk |access-date=19 May 2018 }}</ref> No. 214 Squadron was selected to carry out tanker trials, while retaining its bombing role, in February 1958.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|pp=153–154}} The trials were successful. In August 1961, a second Valiant squadron, No. 90 Squadron, was ordered to begin training in the aerial refuelling role.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|p=166}} Nos 90 and 214 Squadrons became full-time tanker squadrons on 1 April 1962.{{sfn|Brookes|1982|p=142}} In a demonstration on 20/21 June 1962, a Vulcan B.1A from No. 617 Squadron flew non-stop from RAF Scampton to [[Sydney]] in 20 hours and 5 minutes, refuelled four times by tankers from No. 214 Squadron.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|p=165}} They served in the role until the Valiants were abruptly withdrawn from service.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|pp=168–169}}

Work was already under way to replace the Valiants with Victors. A proposal to convert Victor B.1s and B.1As was first considered by the Air Staff on 25 May 1961 and was endorsed by the [[Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence]], Sir [[Solly Zuckerman]], and the Chiefs of Staff in 1963. The Defence Research Policy Committee (DRPC) estimated that converting 27 aircraft would cost £7 million. This would provide sufficient aircraft for three tanker squadrons. The price tag soon increased to £8 million for 24 aircraft, and the Treasury was reluctant to spend that much money pending a review of Britain's overseas defence commitments, which would establish whether a third squadron was required. There were also doubts about the financial viability of Handley Page. Approval was given for the conversion of twelve aircraft on 12 June, three more on 9 July, and another nine on 15 September.{{sfn|Wynn|1997|pp=474–476}} The second production Victor B.1 (XA918) was converted into a prototype tanker. This involved the installation of Flight Refuelling Mark 20B pods on each wing to refuel fighter aircraft, two fuel tanks in the bomb bay, and a Flight Refuelling Mark 17 HDU in the bomb bay for bombers and transport aircraft.{{sfn|Jackson|1981|p=85}} The grounding of the Valiant tankers injected some urgency into the situation, as the RAF lost its refuelling capability. Six Victor K.1A tankers were delivered to No. 55 Squadron at RAF Marham in May and June 1965, but these were not full conversions, as they had only the underwing refuelling pods, and retained their bombing capability.{{sfn|Jackson|1981|p=85}}

[[File:Handley Page HP-80 Victor K2, UK - Air Force AN1018925.jpg|thumb|left|Victor K.2 tanker XL188 in 1990]]
As Victor tankers became available, a second tanker squadron, No. 57 Squadron, was formed at RAF Marham on 14 February 1966,{{sfn|McLelland|2013|pp=210–211}} and a third was added on 1 July 1966 when No. 214 Squadron was re-formed.{{sfn|Jackson|1981|p=85}} The last Victor bomber squadrons, Nos 100 and 139 Squadrons, were disbanded on 1 October and 31 December 1968 respectively.{{sfn|Jackson|1981|p=86}} It was decided to convert their Victor B.2s into tankers. However, while the Vulcans' rigid delta wing coped well with low-altitude flight, it subjected the Victors' slender wings to considerable flexing, and they suffered badly from fatigue cracks. Repairing them became a major cost of the tanker conversion programme, and some Victors were determined to be beyond economical repair. The Victor SR.2s were withdrawn from service to make up the numbers, and were replaced by Vulcans. Due to the increased costs, none of the SR.2s were modified, and only 21 Victor K.2 tankers were converted. Handley Page went into liquidation in August 1969, and the subsequent work was undertaken by [[Hawker Siddeley]]. The first Victor K.2 tanker made its maiden flight on 1 March 1972. No. 55 Squadron began re-equipping with the Victor K.2 on 1 July 1975, followed by No. 57 Squadron on 7 June 1976. No. 214 Squadron retained its K.1As until it was disbanded on 28 February 1977, reducing the RAF's tanker fleet to just two squadrons.{{sfn|McLelland|2013|pp=210–211}}{{sfn|Jackson|1981|p=89}}

During the Falklands War, the commitments of the Victor tanker fleet became overwhelming. All available tankers were deployed to support operations there. Only the Victor tanker fleet made it possible for the transport aircraft to reach Ascension Island with vital supplies, and for the Vulcan bombers to reach the Falkland Islands for Operation Black Buck.{{sfn|McLelland|2013|p=212}} In the meantime, the RAF forces in the UK were serviced by USAF [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker]]s. Work was in progress to [[Vickers VC10#Military service|convert VC-10s into tankers]], but as an interim measure it was decided to convert some [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]] and Vulcan bombers. The equipment in the ECM bay was removed and a Mark 17 HDU installed there. The first of six converted Vulcan tankers (XH561 - the others being XH558, XH560, XJ825, XL445 and XM571) flew on 18 June 1982, just seven weeks after the conversion work began, and the first Vulcan K.2 tanker was delivered to the RAF five days later. The HDUs used were those earmarked for the VC-10 conversion programme, so as these were completed, the HDUs were removed from the Vulcans, starting with Vulcan XJ825 on 4 May 1983.{{sfn|McLelland|2013|pp=178–180}}{{sfn|Burden|Draper|Rough|Smith|1986|p=367}}

[[File:Vickers Valiant (27363801724).jpg|thumb|Vickers Valiant B1 XD818, flown by [[Kenneth Hubbard]] during [[Operation Grapple]], preserved at [[Royal Air Force Museum Midlands]] ]]
No. 617 Squadron was disbanded on 31 December 1981,{{sfn|Brookes|1982|pp=163–165}} followed by No. 35 Squadron on 1 March 1982, and No. 9 Squadron on 1 May 1982. This left only Nos 44, 50 and 101 Squadrons at RAF Waddington, which were all scheduled to disband by 1 July 1982, with their tactical nuclear mission passing to the [[Panavia Tornado]]. The Falklands War intervened, providing a temporary reprieve. No. 101 Squadron was disbanded on 4 August 1982, and No. 44 Squadron on 21 December 1982.{{sfn|Brookes|1982|pp=163–165}}{{sfn|Darling|2007|p=128}} The last Vulcan unit, No. 50 Squadron at RAF Waddington, was disbanded on 13 March 1984, leaving behind six K.2s and three B.2s. The Ministry of Defence decided to retain a Vulcan in service for air shows. This role was filled by [[XL426]], and then by [[XH558]].In 1992, XH558 was sold to a private owner, and it made its last RAF flight on 23 March 1993.{{sfn|McLelland|2013|pp=178–180}}

The Victor tankers saw active service again in the [[Gulf War]], with eight deploying to [[Muharraq]] in Bahrain between December 1990 and March 1991. Victor tankers subsequently deployed to Akrotiri in support of [[Operation Northern Watch|Operation Warden]], the operations to protect Kurdish communities in the northern part of Iraq, and to Muharraq in support of [[Operation Jural]] in southern Iraq. The tankers returned to RAF Marham in September 1993, where No. 55 Squadron, the last Victor unit, was disbanded on 15 October 1993.{{sfn|McLelland|2013|p=213}}