Vickers Supersonic Valiant

History

While the Air Ministry conceived and maintained many medium-range, long-range, nuclear-capable jet bomber concepts during the Cold War (1947-1991), only three actually entered service. These three - Avro "Vulcan", Handley Page "Victor" and Vickers "Valiant" - make up the RAF's "V-Bomber" nuclear deterrent airborne force for decades.

Other design studies centered on these three aircraft were also considered, but ultimately (for various reasons) were sidelined until they were concluded.

For the Vickers and their Valiant, there is the "Supersonic Valiant" product, designed to turn a subsonic production bomber into a fast attack bombing platform. High-speed aircraft are able to overtake ground defenses and interceptors trying to hit them.

Retaining useful conventional and nuclear warload capabilities also ensures that the modified bomber form can produce the desired battlefield outcomesprimarily disruption of the former and deterrence of the latter.

There are many challenges in making the subsonic Valiant a durable supersonic performer. The most notable changes are greater recoil on the main plane and recoil per rear wing element. The four engines will continue to drive design and engineers to focus on the Rolls-Royce 'Conway' range.

As a result, the plane can fly at speeds close to Mach 1 and reach speeds of Mach 1.4 if necessary. The bomber can fly up to 58,000 feet and also retains an altitude advantage over ground firepower and possibly missiles and interceptors.

The tanks would provide viable range with wartime loads - possibly up to 5,110 miles.

By design, the 1952 end result is slimmer than the 1955 Valiant. The main aircraft is shoulder-mounted with elongated leading edge air intakes that suck into a four-engine arrangement (two engines per wing root) within the wing roots.

These elements also have a lower reverse shape (downward angle) and conformal nacelles to accommodate the main landing gear legs. The bomber's major components would all be concentrated in the tubular fuselage, which would include a pressurized cockpit (likely to have a crew of five, like the original Valiant), bomb bays, and various systems and subsystems needed for the aircraft's success. At the rear end of the fuselage there should be a vertical horizontal stabilizer, with the horizontal plane mounted high in a "T-shaped" arrangement.

A fully retractable wheeled tricycle landing gear will provide the necessary ground movement.

Like other proposed models of the complex and expensive V-bomber force, the Supersonic Valor has not been developed further beyond initial drawing work - authorities are not convinced of the viability of the design, nor of the promised capabilities.

Specification

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Performance

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