The last Avro Vulcan bomber may not be in service anymore, but it’s been flying in private hands since 2007, and one of the last remaining aircraft performed a crazy stunt at the Royal International Air Tattoo in RAF Fairford, UK, one of the world’s largest air shows, this past week. According to Jalopnik, “on takeoff yesterday, the massive delta-winged beast rolled hard to the right just above the runway. The maneuver, which was lower and steeper than any performed by the aircraft before, provoked a collective gasp and then cheers from the crowd as the huge jet powered through the extremely low-level turn.” Continue reading for the video.
The Vulcan had no defensive weaponry, initially relying upon high-speed high-altitude flight to evade interception. Electronic countermeasures were employed by the B.1 (designated B.1A) and B.2 from circa 1960. A change to low-level tactics was made in the mid-1960s. In the mid-1970s nine Vulcans were adapted for maritime radar reconnaissance operations, re-designated as B.2 (MRR). In the final years of service six Vulcans were converted to the K.2 tanker configuration for aerial refueling.
