Editing Avro Vulcan (section)

===Nuclear deterrent===
As part of Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, the Vulcan initially carried Britain's first nuclear weapon, the ''[[Blue Danube (nuclear weapon)|Blue Danube]]'' [[Unguided bomb|gravity bomb]].<ref>Darling 2007, p. 6.</ref> ''Blue Danube'' was a low-kiloton yield fission bomb designed before the United States detonated the first [[hydrogen bomb]]. These were supplemented by U.S.-owned ''[[Mark 5 nuclear bomb|Mk 5]]'' bombs (made available under the [[Project E]] programme) and later by the British [[Red Beard (nuclear weapon)|''Red Beard'']] tactical nuclear weapon.<ref name="Leitch p55,8" >Leitch ''Air Enthusiast'' September/October 2003, pp. 55, 58.</ref> The UK had already embarked on its own hydrogen bomb programme, and to bridge the gap until these were ready the V-bombers were equipped with an Interim Megaton Weapon based on the ''Blue Danube'' casing containing ''[[Green Grass (nuclear warhead)|Green Grass]]'', a large pure-fission warhead of {{convert|400|ktonTNT|PJ|lk=on|adj=on}} yield.<ref name = 'kev32' >Darling 2007, p. 32.</ref>{{refn|According to UK parlance of the time, "megaton range" was understood to correspond to 500&nbsp;kt or greater.<ref name="WoF p48" >Jackson ''Wings of Fame'' 1996, p. 48.</ref> The ''Green Grass'' warhead had a predicted yield of 500&nbsp;kt.<ref name="Leitch p57">Leitch ''Air Enthusiast'' September/October 2003, p. 57.</ref>|group=N}} This bomb was known as ''[[Violet Club]]''.<ref name = 'kev32'/> Only five were deployed before the ''Green Grass'' warhead was incorporated into a developed weapon as ''[[Yellow Sun (nuclear weapon)|Yellow Sun Mk.1.]]''<ref name = 'kev32'/>

The later ''Yellow Sun Mk 2'', was fitted with ''[[Red Snow]]'',<ref name = 'kev32'/> a British-built variant of the U.S. [[B28 nuclear bomb|W28 warhead]]. ''Yellow Sun Mk 2'' was the first British thermonuclear weapon to be deployed, and was carried on both the Vulcan and [[Handley Page Victor]]. The Valiant retained U.S. nuclear weapons assigned to [[SACEUR]] under the dual-key arrangements. ''Red Beard'' was positioned in [[Singapore]] for use by Vulcan and Victor bombers.<ref>Darling 2007, p. 19.</ref> From 1963, three squadrons of Vulcan B.2s and two squadrons of Victor B.2s were armed with the [[Blue Steel (missile)|''Blue Steel'']] missile, a rocket-powered stand-off bomb, which was also fitted with the {{convert|1.1|MtonTNT|abbr=on}} yield ''Red Snow'' warhead.<ref>Darling 2007, p. 76.</ref>

Operationally, RAF Bomber Command and the SAC cooperated in the [[Single Integrated Operational Plan]]  to ensure coverage of all major Soviet targets from 1958; 108 of the RAF's V-bombers were assigned targets under the plan by the end of 1959.<ref name ='brookes14'>Brookes and Davey 2009, p. 14.</ref> From 1962 onwards, two jets in every RAF bomber base were armed with nuclear weapons and on standby permanently under the principle of [[Quick Reaction Alert]] (QRA).<ref name ='brookes14'/> Vulcans on QRA were to be airborne within four minutes of receiving an alert, as this was identified as the amount of time between warning of a USSR nuclear strike being launched and it arriving in Britain.<ref name = 'brookes43'>Brookes and Davey 2009, p. 43.</ref> The closest the Vulcan came to taking part in potential nuclear conflict was during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] in October 1962, where Bomber Command was moved to Alert Condition 3, an increased state of preparedness from normal operations; however, it stood down in early November.<ref name ='brookes14-15'>Brookes and Davey 2009, pp. 14–15.</ref>

[[File:AvroVulcan2008.JPG|thumb| [[XH558]] taking off, 2008 [[Farnborough Airshow]]]]

The Vulcans were intended to be equipped with the Skybolt missile to replace the Blue Steel, with Vulcan B.2s carrying two Skybolts under the wings. The last 28 B.2s were modified on the production line to fit pylons to carry the Skybolt.<ref>Laming 2002, p. 88.</ref><ref>Darling 2007, p. 116.</ref> A [[#Proposals_and_cancelled_projects|B.3 variant]] with increased wingspan to carry up to six Skybolts was proposed in 1960.<ref>Laming 2002, p. 89.</ref> When the Skybolt missile system was cancelled by U.S. President [[John F. Kennedy]] on the recommendation of his Secretary of Defense, [[Robert McNamara]] in 1962, precipitating the [[Nassau Agreement|Skybolt Crisis]], ''Blue Steel'' was retained. To supplement it until the [[Royal Navy]] took on the deterrent role with [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris]] SLBM-equipped submarines, the Vulcan bombers adopted a new mission profile of flying high during clear transit, dropping down low to avoid enemy defences on approach, and deploying a parachute-retarded bomb, the [[WE.177]]B.<ref name = 'kev65'/> However, since the aircraft had been designed for high-altitude flight, at low altitudes it could not exceed 350 knots. RAF Air Vice Marshal Ron Dick, a former Vulcan pilot, said "it is [thus] questionable whether it could have been effective flying at low level in a war against ... the Soviet Union."<ref name="mellow200401">{{cite news | url=http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/vulcan.html?c=y&story=fullstory | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130910054135/http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/vulcan.html?c=y&story=fullstory | url-status=dead | archive-date=2013-09-10 | title=God Save the Vulcan! | work=Air & Space | date=January 2004 | access-date=9 September 2013 | author=Mellow, Craig }}</ref>

After the British Polaris submarines became operational and Blue Steel was taken out of service in 1970, the Vulcan continued to carry WE.177B in a [[tactical nuclear weapons|tactical nuclear]] strike role as part of the British contribution to Europe's standing NATO forces, although they no longer held aircraft at 15 minutes' readiness in peacetime.<ref name = 'kev65'>Darling 2007, p. 65.</ref> Two squadrons were also stationed in Cyprus as part of the Near East Air Force and assigned to [[Central Treaty Organization]] in a strategic strike role. With the eventual demise of the WE.177B and the Vulcan bombers, the [[Blackburn Buccaneer]], [[SEPECAT Jaguar]], and [[Panavia Tornado]] continued with the WE.177C until its retirement in 1998.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104032020/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-19787557.html "Royal Air Force loses nuclear arsenal."] ''AP Online'', 31 March 1998.</ref> While not a like-for-like replacement, the multi-role Tornado interdictor/strike bomber is the successor for the roles previously filled by the Vulcan.<ref>Segell 1997, p. 124.</ref>