After
the final retirement of the Vulcan and the early model Harris stand-off attack
bombers, some of the Generals in the high command realized that the Harris B.3's
are near the end of their useful life (and that the Tornado GR.1 would not be a
suitable for any kind of strategic attack role), and a successor would be
needed. After getting approval from White Hall, the new bomber project was put
on hold until 1993 due to the post-Gulf war re-organization of the RAF. Now
under financial threat from the newly elected Labour government, the project was
given to the RAF's Experimental Aircraft and
Weapons
Test
Center
(EAWTC {pronounced ' eew-tic'}) for evaluation. After looking at 4 designs, the
B-2 (now known as the Vampire) was declared the winner.
The Vampire looks from the
outside like a normal B-2, but the use of RAM is limited to only the crucial
area's on the aircraft and 4 inward-canted fins where installed for more
stability (and because the MoD didn't totally trust the computer-based control
system). The single linear bomb bay can carry up to 30,000 pounds of weapons.
The 'Dracula' recce system can also be fitted in the
Bombay
.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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The
Vampire went into service in mid-1997, equipping No.007 sqn COU and No. 154 sqn
based at RAF Edenberg, and the 2 prototypes stayed with EAWTC. In all 26 aircraft
were delivered out of an initial order of 40. The first use of the Vampire came
in 1998 when 4 aircraft from No.007 sqn. took off to particpate in Operation
Desert Fox. Then 4 months later both No.007 and No.154 sqns. flew missions into
Serbia
and covert strikes into
East
Timor
and
Afghanistan
(Operation Enron), before taking part in Operation Telic,
the RAF contribution to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Aircraft from No.154 sqn.
that participated in both Enron and Telic sported Grey
Haven camo (gray and blue/gray over the standard gray top.), that was
reminiscent of the
US
Have Blue scheme
Bud
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