AVRO 698 Vulcan - Blue Steel & Skybolt

Blue Steel was a stand-off bomb developed by Avro's Weapons Research division in response to the Air Staff Operational Requirement OR1132. The Avro Vulcan B.Mk.2 or the Handley Page Victor B.Mk.2 could use the bomb, which had a nuclear warhead.

It would be carried to within 100 miles of the target, be launched at 40,000ft. diving down to 32,000ft. before it's rocket engine would ignite, carrying it up to 70,500ft. and then dive onto its target. It would be guided by its Elliot inertial navigation system.

It had been intended to replace this weapon with the Skybolt air launched ballistic missile (ALBM), but cancellation of this project meant an extension to the service life of Blue Steel and subsequent modification to give it a low level launch capability.

It was intended that the Vulcan B.Mk.2 would carry two Skybolts, one under each wing.

The last 28 Vulcan B.Mk.2 were modified in production to fit the Skybolt pylons. Skybolt was cancelled by the American government in 1962 in favour of submarine launched Polaris missiles. This option was offered to, and accepted by, Britain and so Blue Steel was retained until the Polaris submarines were commissioned into the RN.

In the later years of the Blue Steel deployment, it was decided that the Vulcan B.Mk.2 aircraft would have to approach its target at low level. This required the aircraft's wing to be strengthened with an upgrade in the navigational equipment, improved Electronic Counter Measures and the inclusion of Terrain Following Radar. It was considered that the Victor would be unsuitable for this role. Blue Steel was in service with the RAF between 1962 and 1970.

(Colour Photographs showing - Blue Steel Test Flights using Avro 698 Vulcan B.Mk.1 XA903.)

(Colour Photographs showing - Skybolt being test flown before it's cancellation by the American government in favour of Polaris.)