Avro Vulcan - early concepts revealed

In an exclusive feature in this month's Aeroplane, new evidence is brought to light regarding the earliest designs for what became Avro's mighty Vulcan delta V-bomber.

A letter recently donated to the Avro Heritage Group set former BAe employee David Fildes thinking about what the Vulcan might have looked like had the original concept been followed. Sent to Sir Roy Dobson, managing director of Avro, in 1952, by R.N. "Bob" Lindley, it concerns the proposal for a book on the delta project. Bob's recollections of the project were based entirely on memory, as he had no documentary evidence, but he included a sketch of the first design.

The original arrangement of the aircraft was, of course, somewhat more futuristic than that finally proposed; indeed, it would look advanced today. It had boundary-layer suction and a movable cockpit, so that the pilot could have a good view even when the aircraft was at angles of incidence as high as 30°, and it had a very advanced arrangement of combined elevator, air brakes and variable-area jetpipe nozzle.


One of the Avro Vulcan concept illustrated by Aeroplane artist Ian Bott and animated by Mario Lendvai.

Click here to see animations of the above concept, and of the "final" version of the Avro 698 as it appeared in the tender brochure of April 1947.

Aeroplane
January 30, 2008