I have been really looking forward to reviewing this book as my father worked on the initial design f the Vulcan. I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed.

To me the period from 1960 to 1984 is the most fascinating from an operational point of view. It begins with the move to carrying the country’s nuclear deterrent, Blue Steel, the many hours spent on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA), followed by the transition to low level attack and of course its final missions during the Falklands War just as the aircraft was due to retire.

The book begins with pages on the improvements made to the aircraft for its new role along with interesting drawings and paragraphs on the changes. There are lots of photographs showing the production line and this iconic aircraft in flight.

Blue Steels development is covered along with how it was utilised. There is a fascinating section on QRA and the requirements that aircraft were expected to be rolling within 30 seconds from an inert start. On exercise getting four aircraft scrambled within 90 seconds was common! A recognition of the Cold War and what it meant. By comparison troops in Germany were expected to be in there combat positions within 4 hours of receiving an alert.

In conclusion the book packs a great deal into its 96 pages.

The Society of Model and Experimental Engineers