After the Halifax bomber was successfully launched in World War II, Petty Company in Handley, England began to focus on new advanced bombers. The tailless swept wing scheme has become one of their favorite plans. The air force was interested in this and put forward the design requirements at the beginning of 1947, with the official code (B.35/46). 1949 signed a prototype development contract and manufactured two prototypes. Within Handley Petty, the original design number was HP.75, and later it was developed into HP.80 This aircraft has become one of the three famous V-series bombers. The company plans to put the aircraft into active service in 195 1 year-faced with many manufacturers of V-series bombers, the General Staff of the Air Force is at a loss in distribution business.

In order to avoid development risks, Handley Petty decided to test their newly designed crescent wing/tail on a minicomputer. They bought the fuselage of Huber Marin 5 10, and after a short stay, they transported it to Blackburn, where they installed crescent wings and T-tail, with code B.2 or HP.88 and internal number VX330. Because the test flight was too late, it was part of the winner's planned test. The plane crashed in the accident on August 26th 195 1.

1952, the first HP.80 is ready. Because the runway of Handley Petty Company in Ladrette was not long enough, the plane was transported by land to Bosco Dang Kang. After being reassembled locally, WB77 1 successfully made its first flight on February 24th, 65438 (Christmas Eve). Different from the original tailless design of HP.75A, HP.80 has a huge T-shaped tail and retains the crescent wing design, which can keep the critical Mach number of the whole wing consistent along the spanwise direction. Compared with Vulcan and Warriors, HP.80' s bomb bay is bigger and the crew bay is more spacious.

Vulcan and Warriors are sealed cabins in series, so they are relatively narrow. The winner's cockpit extends all the way to the nose, providing more space and better view. Because the nose radar occupies the unsealed cabin at the lower part of the nose, the winner's cockpit must be high above, so that the working space of other crew members is almost on the same plane as that of the pilot. In fact, the pilot's position is even lower, that is, according to the general bomber layout, such as B- 17 and B-24 during World War II, the pilot, radio operator and bomber work in the front and bottom of the cockpit. In June, the company won an order for 25 planes, when it was officially named the winner.

Like warriors and Vulcan, winners are just pilots with ejection seats. The original design included an integral ejection module to ensure the safety of all crew members, but the huge development cost discouraged the air force chief, and the development of this type of ejection module was terminated at 1950. So only the pilot was equipped with an ejection seat, and other crew members had to ask for help in case of emergency.

The first HP.80(WB77 1) and the second WB775 quickly found problems in use, especially the serious center of gravity deviation. The aircraft produced later lengthened the front fuselage to improve this situation. This change inadvertently increases the chances of members escaping. In the original design, the crew's escape exit was very close to the engine air intake, which was very dangerous when parachuting, but it was much safer after the change-there were also several successful escapes.

The test flight has been carried out smoothly and orderly, and there have been some insignificant accidents, but in the end it was smooth and smooth. Until July 1954, 14, WB77 1 When Granfield was skimming the runway at low altitude, the tail suddenly broke, and the plane crashed on the spot, leaving no survivors. The calculation error led engineers to think that the tail wing of the aircraft was absolutely reliable, but in fact, the force of the three bolts used for fixing exceeded the estimated value.

The second HP.80 uses four bolts to reinforce the tail wing, and is equipped with four "Sapphire" 100 series engines with a thrust of 3600kg, which is the same as the first one. 1954 September 1 1 The first test flight was successful at Van Paul Air Show.

At that time, the British Air Force had only one kind of aircraft, namely the American F- 10 1 Voodoo, which could intercept them. Its fragile air defense system can be seen, but it just reflects the Excellence of the winner. 1955 in may, the Ministry of national defense purchased another 33 successful bidders. At the end of the same year, the flight test was completed and the aircraft was handed over to the Aerospace Electrical Engineering Bureau for further testing. The production winner B. 1 is equipped with tail reduction to overcome the metal fatigue problem and avoid the recurrence of WB77 1 tragedy. The winning tanker had two chances to show its talents: once in 1982, when Argentina occupied the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The attack ordered a Vulcan plane to bomb the airport in Stanley, its port. The problem is that Vulcan's combat radius is not enough, even from the nearest Ascension Island (South Atlantic Island), so aerial refueling becomes necessary. The other is the Gulf War.

Operation black sheep

Because the voyage is too long, the plan needs at least 1 1 winners to feed a Vulcan. The winner should not only cheer for Vulcan, but also cheer for other winners. This kind of air relay must ensure that a winner meets Vulcan at the designated navigation point and refuels for the last time before Vulcan attacks. After the Vulcan attack, five Victory ships provided support to ensure the fuel for its return.

In the first mission, the relay refueling showed the courage of the winner's crew. When they delivered oil to Vulcan, their available fuel was reduced. Before the attack, they were not allowed to break the radio silence and call another tanker to refuel themselves. As a result, they didn't have enough oil to return to the base. Fortunately, Vulcan returned victorious in time and the restrictions on radio communication were lifted. The pilots staring at the fuel gauge can finally breathe a sigh of relief, because a tanker is taking off in an emergency and meeting them on the way back.

Due to the tight war, a large number of winners were transferred to the war zone, domestic tankers were in short supply, and some Vulcan tankers were changed to K.2 tankers. The Battle of Falklands (which lasted until 1985) had a very high attendance rate (about 30 times that of peacetime), which exhausted the life span of most winners. By 1986, a large number of winners had to retire, and the 57th Squadron was dissolved, leaving only the 55th Squadron still using the winners.

Relay refueling

Time flies, and the remaining winner tankers have been in service until the Gulf War of 1990. 199 1 fought side by side with the multinational forces, not only serving the Royal Air Force, but also providing fuel for allied fighters including the United States.

Six of them were proposed by Corporal Andy Price of the 55th Squadron, painted with nose art and named after the captain's wife or girlfriend. Their achievements (represented by small oil tanks) are also marked on it, including an unusual "shooting down" in which a winner crashed into a truck while taxiing and destroyed it.

The victor's fleet proved itself in the Gulf War, * * * completed 299 missions, with a success rate of 100%. However, the winner is really old and gradually replaced by VC- 10 (the latter is also equipped with Conway engine, and 1980 began to serve).

199310 June 15, the fleet of the last winner, the 55th squadron, was dissolved. Except for a small number of aircraft put into storage and sealed, most of them are destined to be dismantled. From birth to retirement, the winner * * * produced 86 aircraft (including 2 prototypes), and 5 survived, of which only 4 were properly kept. (Of the seven planes of the 55th Squadron, three were sent to the Royal Life-saving Training Center and dismantled, and three were sealed. 1 Before dismantling, their heads were presented to the Royal Air Force Museum for display. )