Editing V bomber (section)

===Nuclear testing===
[[File:Buffalo R3 002.jpg|thumb|On 11 October 1956, Valiant B.1 WZ366 of [[No. 49 Squadron RAF|No. 49 Squadron]] became the first British aircraft to drop a live atomic bomb during the [[Operation Buffalo (1956)|Buffalo R3/Kite]] test]]
[[File:Wikivaliant.jpg|thumb|right|Vickers Valiant B1 XD818, flown by [[Kenneth Hubbard]] during [[Operation Grapple]], at [[Royal Air Force Museum Midlands]] in 2006]]
Special Valiant unit [[No. 1321 Flight RAF|No. 1321 Flight]] was formed at RAF Wittering on 3 August 1954{{sfn|Wynn|1997|p=598}} which conducted ballistic test trials with Blue Danube practice bombs. It became C Flight of No. 138 Squadron in March 1956, and No. 49 Squadron on 1 May 1956.

Valiants WZ366 and WZ367 were then flown to [[Maralinga]], South Australia for [[British nuclear tests at Maralinga#Operation Buffalo|Operation Buffalo]]. Valiant B.1 WZ366 of No. 49 Squadron became the first RAF aircraft to drop an operational atomic bomb when it performed a test drop of a down-rated 3-kt Blue Danube at Maralinga on 11 October 1956. The bomb landed about {{convert|100|yd}} left and {{convert|60|yd}} short of the target. The pilot was Squadron Leader [[Edwin Flavell (Royal Air Force officer)|Edwin Flavell]], and the bomb aimer was Flight Lieutenant Eric Stacey, and both were awarded the [[Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)|Air Force Cross]]{{sfn|Brookes|1982|p=74}}{{sfn|Wynn|1997|pp=170–173}}<ref>{{London Gazette |date=28 December 1956 |issue=40960 |supp=1 |page=36}}</ref> in the [[1957 New Year Honours]].

On 15 May 1957, Valiant B.1 XD818 flown by [[Wing commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] [[Kenneth Hubbard]] dropped the first British [[hydrogen bomb]] over the Pacific, the "Short Granite", as part of [[Operation Grapple]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/1994-1352-A-Valiant-XD818.pdf|title=Individual History Vickers Valiant B (K) Mk.I XD818/7894M Museum Accession Number 1994/1352/A |publisher=Royal Air Force Museum |access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref> No. 49 Squadron was selected to perform the live weapon drop and was equipped with specially modified Valiants to conform with the scientific requirements of the tests and other precautionary measures to protect against heat and radiation.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|pp=61, 68}} The test was largely a failure, as the measured yield was less than a third of the maximum expected and the device failed to achieve a [[thermonuclear]] explosion as intended. The first British hydrogen bomb that detonated as planned was Grapple X Round A, dropped on 8 November 1957.{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=157}} The Grapple series of tests continued into 1958, and the Grapple Y bomb exploded in April 1958 with ten times the yield of the original "Short Granite".{{sfn|Hubbard|Simmons|2008|p=167}} Testing was finally terminated in November 1958 when the British government decided to cease atmospheric testing.{{sfn|Arnold|Pyne|2001|pp=189–191}}