Hawker Siddeley Vulcan B 2

Type of aircraft used in long-range attacks

In 1982 the Vulcan was about to be withdrawn from service when the Falklands Conflict began, this example having just been delivered to the RAF Museum. Because of this the Vulcan's in-flight refuelling system was not installed, the crews had not trained in air-to-air refuelling (AAR) and Vulcan crews were not practised in conventional bombing.

AAR capability was refitted and the crews retrained in AAR and conventional bombing techniques. Vulcans conducted five attacks on the Falklands from Ascension Island, which at the time were the longest air attacks ever made.