U.K.: "VALIANT" BOMBERS - ONCE THE BACKBONE OF BRITAIN'S AIR DEFENCE - NOW ABANDONED TO THE SCRAPHEAP.

Record ID: 358358

  • Title: U.K.: "VALIANT" BOMBERS - ONCE THE BACKBONE OF BRITAIN'S AIR DEFENCE - NOW ABANDONED TO THE SCRAPHEAP.
  • Date: 8th September 1965
  • Summary: AIRCRAFT IN SCRAP YARD. Initials PBS/V/WH/OS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 23rd September 1965 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BIRMINGHAM, U.K.
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA2JV6B8GJYISMTFQBMKCS582Y
  • Story Text: BRITAIN'S "VALIANT" JET BOMBERS, FOR NINE YEARS A MAJOR PART OF THE DEFENSIVE V BOMBER FORCE, ARE NOW BEING BROKEN DOWN FOR SCRAP. THE BOMBERS WERE WITHDRAWN FROM SERVICE LAST JANUARY BECAUSE OF A DEFECT IN THE WINGS CAUSED BY METAL FATIGUE.

    FOR A TIME, AIRCRAFT DESIGNERS CONSIDERED THE POSSIBILITY OF REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE WING PARTS, BUT THIS WAS PROVED TOO COSTLY AND TROUBLESOME.

    THE VALIANT BOMBERS COST THE BRITISH TAXPAYERS GBP1,500,000 EACH WHEN THEY WERE BUILT. ONE HUNDRED OF THEM WERE IN SERVICE IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD. THEY HAVE BEEN SOLD TO BE BROKEN DOWN TO SCRAP FOR A FRACTION OF THEIR ORIGINAL COST.

    THE SUPERSONIC "VALIANT" HAD A PROUD SERVICE RECORD.

    THEY WERE THE FIRST FOUR ENGINE JET BOMBERS EVER ALLOCATED TO THE ROYAL AIR FORCE. IT WAS VALIANT BOMBERS THAT WERE USED DURING THE TESTS OF BRITAIN'S ATOMIC BOMBS IN AUSTRALIA AND ON CHRISTMAS ISLAND.

    THE "VICTOR" AND "VULCAN", BOTH FOUR ENGINE JET BOMBERS, HAVE NOW REPLACED THE "VALIANT" AS THE BACKBONE OF BRITAIN'S DEFENSIVE BOMBER FORCE. BOTH AIRCRAFT ARE MEDIUM BOMBERS WITH TOP SPEEDS WELL IN EXCESS OF 600 MILES AN HOUR (970 KM PH), AND BOTH ARE CAPABLE OF CARRYING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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