# Avro Vulcan B.3



## Admiral Beez (May 28, 2021)

The proposed long range B3 variant of the Avro Vulcan was to have 12 hours endurance at 500 knots, a range of about 6,000 nautical miles. This is more than double the range of the B2 variants sent to attack the Argentine positions in the Falklands. Let’s replace all the Vulcans with B3s. How does this change things?


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## fastmongrel (May 29, 2021)

In the Falklands nothing anything the Vulcan can do can be done by Harriers off the carrier's. 

Iirc the B3 was to be the Skybolt carrier assuming the US doesn't cancel Skybolt just as it started working then you could butterfly away the Royal Navy Polaris boats. That will cause major changes to the navy maybe a new class of carriers get built but hopefully not the CVA-01 design that was too much on too small a hull

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## Graeme (May 29, 2021)

fastmongrel said:


> In the Falklands nothing anything the Vulcan can do can be done by Harriers off the carrier's.



That was certainly Sharkey's opinion.

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## Admiral Beez (May 29, 2021)

Graeme said:


> That was certainly Sharkey's opinion.
> 
> View attachment 625248
> 
> ...


Good point. Clearly the RAF wanted to be more included, beyond their Harriers.


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## buffnut453 (May 29, 2021)

I think the Black Buck missions were about far more than bombing Port Stanley Airfield. It was also about messaging Buenos Aires and the Galtieri-led junta that the UK's power projection presented a direct threat to the Argentine mainland.

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## Admiral Beez (May 29, 2021)

buffnut453 said:


> I think the Black Buck missions were about far more than bombing Port Stanley Airfield. It was also about messaging Buenos Aires and the Galtieri-led junta that the UK's power projection presented a direct threat to the Argentine mainland.


Good point. And with RAF Wide Awake (IATA:FHAW) positioned only 2,900 nmi (5,371 km) from Buenos Aires (AEP), B3 Vulcans with 6,000 nmi range operating out of Ascension may cause greater concern. 

One inflight refuel may still needed for flights over Argentine territory, but most if not all B3 flights need only fly in groups towards the Argentine coast to require the AAF to position all its fighters around the mainland. Come to think of it, that’s what should have been done with the Victor-supported B2 instead of Black Buck.

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## nuuumannn (Jul 14, 2021)

buffnut453 said:


> It was also about messaging Buenos Aires and the Galtieri-led junta that the UK's power projection presented a direct threat to the Argentine mainland.



It was a threat the FAA (Argentine Air Force) took seriously. Although a handful of Mirages had been left behind at an airbase on the outskirts of BA, Mirages based at Comodoro Rivadavia were tasked with defending the mainland, while those at Rio Gallegos, further south carried out sorties over the islands. The Rivadavia units were kept at 5-minute readiness and also flew CAP over the country in fear of attack from the Vulcans against the mainland and an attack from Chilean air forces also.

This particular Mirage IIIEA 1-011 was based at Rio Gallegos during the war.




Mirage

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## Wurger (Jul 14, 2021)




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