As a direct result of the Falklands conflict, the RAF suddenly had a huge requirement for air-to-air refueling tanker aircraft to support the seemingly endless supply flights to and from the Falklands while still maintaining day-to-day activities back in the UK, supporting fighter and offensive support squadrons.
The RAF faced an urgent need for air-to-air refueling tankers following the Falklands conflict to support the extensive supply flights between the UK, the Falklands, and Ascension Island while maintaining regular UK operations.
Tim McLelland’s book ‘The Avro Vulcan Revised Edition’ describes how Victor aircraft were heavily committed to air-to-air refueling tasks, and despite ongoing VC-10 tanker conversions, an immediate requirement for additional tankers emerged. USAF Boeing KC-135 tankers provided support for RAF operations in the UK, but officials decided to convert several Hercules and Vulcan aircraft into single-point refueling tankers. British Aerospace at Woodford received the initial proposal to install a Hose Drum Unit (HDU) in the aft section of the Vulcan’s bomb bay, which would designate the aircraft as B(K) 2. This proposal was ultimately rejected, primarily due to safety concerns about the receiver’s proximity to the tanker aircraft. Safety considerations dictated that the HDU should be positioned as far back as possible to ensure adequate separation between the tanker and receiver. The ECM bay was identified as a suitable location since its internal equipment wasn’t necessary for tanker operations, and this placement would also permit an additional fuel tank installation in the bomb bay. After retirement, XM603 was delivered to Woodford for static display and served as a mock-up platform. J.J. Sherratt, BAe’s Assistant Chief Designer for Victor tanker systems, explained that fitting the HDU presented significant challenges.
`Sunday morning saw a group of us standing around a crated HDU, thinking that if it was anything like the size of the crate, we wouldn’t stand much of a chance of fitting it. Even with the crate removed, it looked big, but by this time we had resolved to get it into the Vulcan even if it meant restyling the back of the aircraft. There was no way of straight-lifting the 51/2-foot-wide HDU through the existing ECM opening of 4 feet, but we noticed that the top part of the HDU could be separated from the bottom, and we might be able to get the top half through the opening, leaving the bottom half to be straight-lifted in. A piece of wood the same size as the top section was called for to investigate the possibility. The verdict was that there was plenty of room if we had a good shoehorn, and if necessary, we could put the odd blister here and there to cover any awkward bits.
‘ After a design team meeting in the afternoon, we agreed to tell the MoD that we could do the job, and in the general euphoria, a target of three weeks to the first flight was set. On Monday, two representatives from Flight Refuelling arrived to advise us on splitting the HDU, and at around midday, we received authority from MoD to proceed with the conversion of six aircraft. The first aircraft, XH561, arrived on Tuesday, by which time a whole army of workers had been mobilized to work all the hours it needed to do the job. Seven weeks later to the day, on Friday 18 June, the first converted aircraft made its first flight at 12.32 pm. An interim CA release was granted on 23 June, and the first aircraft was delivered to the RAF on the very same day.’
The Vulcan K.2 experienced a disappointingly brief service life with the RAF, despite proving itself as an exceptional tanker aircraft. Production of the HDUs had ceased some time earlier, and the Mk 17 HDUs installed on the Vulcans had already been allocated to the VC-10s, which were being converted to tankers. As each VC-10 reached completion, HDUs were systematically removed from the Vulcans, beginning with XJ825 on May 4, 1983. The last operational Vulcan unit, No. 50 Squadron at Waddington, disbanded on March 31, 1984, leaving its fleet of six K.2s and three B.2s to be distributed among museums and fire dumps.
The Avro Vulcan Revised Edition is published by Crecy and is available to order here.
Photo by BAE
