AVRO 698 Vulcan

A four engine delta bomber was suggested by A.V. Roe, by letter in 1941 to Roy Chadwick. Because of WW2 nothing came of this. After 1945 the threat now came from the Soviet Union.

Labour's decision for our own Nuclear Deterrent, required that the Air Ministry needed a new jet powered bomber. Specification B.35/46 was for "a medium range bomber having a range of 1,700 miles, carrying a bomb of 10,000 lbs., cruising speed of 580mph, with an operational altitude between 35,000-50,000ft." Design work on the
Avro 698 began under the directorship of Roy Chadwick and chief designer Stuart Davis. Stuart Davis is credited with the original idea of
pursuing an aircraft with a delta wing platform and design work progressed along those lines.

The tragic death of Roy Chadwick in August 1947 resulted in the appointment of Sir William Farren to head the design team. An order for two prototypes, serial numbers VX770 & VX777, was
received in January 1948.

(Monochrome Photograph showing - 'Back of the envelope' sketches for the first ideas between S. Davis & R. Chadwick.)

(Monochrome Photograph showing - First Ideas and Early Scale Models.)

(Monochrome Photograph showing - Design showing wing tip fins and four engines vertically mounted in two pairs.)

1948-1952
(Monochrome Photograph - Above Right: From first ideas and drawings, models were produced.

With discussions with the Ministry of Supply and input from wind tunnel tests done at Farnborough's RAE, the final design of the single fin, four jet, delta bomber was arrived at.