Black Buck
Had it not been for the Falklands war in 1982 the Vulcan would have flown for its entire service life without ever dropping a bomb in anger. Although the primary weapon for the Vulcan was nuclear, it could carry up to 21 x 1000 lb bombs and 30 years after its maiden flight the Vulcan was able to successfully complete what was to become the longest successful combat flight in history (until the 1st Gulf War).

The nearest useable airfield and forward base for the Task Force was Ascension Island, some 3,500 miles and 8 hours flying time away. Given the age of the aircraft and the distances covered the Black Buck raids were, in the words of Captain Robert McQueen, Commander British Forces Support Unit, Ascension "a feat of consummate airmanship second to none".

The first Black Buck raid, 30th April - 1st May required meticulous planning. A total of 11 Victor Tankers were used, refuelling both the Vulcan (XM607) and the other tankers so that increasingly few Victors could continue with the Vulcan. Unpredictable fuel consumption led to several of the Victors returning to Ascension with barely enough fuel to land. At one point 4 Victors arrived and landed one after the other without having the time to allow the previous aircraft time to clear the small runway. As the 4th Victor came into the land the end of the runway was blocked and the pilot instructed, should he be unable to stop, to veer off into a volcanic cinder field! Fortunately all 4 Victors landed safely.

Meanwhile, the remaining Victors were transferring spare fuel to the final "long slot" tanker, responsible for providing the Vulcan with its final top up. During the final transfers turbulence caused a refuelling hose to whip and break the receiving probe. Continuing south the final Victors had to reverse roles, consuming more fuel than expected. Having provided the Vulcan with sufficient fuel to complete its mission, it became clear that the Victor would run out of fuel some 400 miles south of Ascension.

To avoid jeopardizing the mission, the aircraft Captain continued to Ascension maintaining radio silence, anxiously awaiting the codeword confirming the success of the Vulcan mission. Thankfully the message was received in time for two tankers to be scrambled and they were met some 600 miles from Ascension. 14 hours after take-off, the final "long slot" Victor arrived safely back at Ascension. A total of a quarter of a million gallons of fuel was used to complete the Black Buck 1 raid, with just 7% being used by the Vulcan itself.

The primary objective of Black Buck 1 was to place at least 1 bomb on the runway at Stanley. As the lone Vulcan approached the Falklands signals were detected from Argentine radars attempting to lock onto her. Two miles out a total of 21 1,000 lb bombs were dropped diagonally across the runway, one hitting the runway dead centre, while others hit fuel and ammo stores and even the golf course. Without its payload the Vulcan was able to return to Ascension with just a single Victor for company. It had been airborne for a remarkable 16 hours and 2 minutes.

A total of 6 Black Buck raids were undertaken. Black Buck 2 was a less successful repeat of Black Buck 1 and Black Buck 3 and 4 were cancelled due to problems with refuelling. XM597 flew the final missions fitted with American anti-radar Shrike missiles, reducing the risk to Harriers which were able to attack Stanley relatively unopposed.

The success of the Black Buck missions can be measured in many ways. Whilst the arrival of XM607 in the skies above Stanley at such an early stage in the conflict caused more damage to Argentine morale than to their installations it also resulted in several fighters being kept back to defend Argentina against the possibility of attack.

Vulcan 607
The Epic Story of the Most Remarkable British Air Attack since WWII
ISBN 0593053915
The first full account of the most ambitious British bombing raid since the Dambusters: the dramatic Vulcan attack on Port Stanley airfield at the start of the Falklands War When the Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands on 2 April, 1982, it took the British government under Margaret Thatcher completely by surprise. They needed a response, and fast.

The military chiefs were ordered to come up with a plan of retaliation. Operation Black Buck, the plan to bomb Port Stanley airfield, was their only realistic option. And even that was fraught with difficulties and danger.

The plan itself was relatively simple: take two long range bombers and land a stick of bombs on the airfield in the immediate aftermath of the Argentine invasion. The realities were rather more complicated: the nearest friendly airbase was 4000 miles from Port Stanley and the only suitable long range bomber had just been taken out of service by the RAF.

It wasn't an auspicious start .. And yet just over a month later, before dawn on 1st May 1982, a lone RAF Vulcan B2 bomber made its way towards the runway at Port Stanley airport, about to strike the first blow of Britain's campaign to retake the Falklands.

Through British pluck, ingenuity and determination by the hundreds of military personnel involved, the operation achieved its goals and will go down in history as the moment when Britain fought back.

Now, for the first time, the true story of the legendary raid on Stanley is told in Vulcan 607. Using extensive interviews with the combatants, residents of Stanley and military command, and with unprecedented access to military records of the time, Rowland White has reconstructed the flight and its preparation in gripping detail.

It's an extraordinary and thrilling telling of a heroic enterprise - the last time that the RAF flew heavy bombers into combat, before being replaced with precision-guided modern weaponry - and looks set to join the classics of aviation literature with its blend of fascinating detail, compelling narrative and nailbiting action.