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Old 1st Oct 2019, 18:56
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Tengah Type
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: S W France
Age: 80
Posts: 261
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All the V's had a Visual Bomb Aimer Position in them. Normally fitted, in their earlier days, with a T4 Bombsight. They were operated by the Nav Plotter as the Nav Radar was busy playing with his magic Televison machine. The accuracy of the Visual bombsight was significantly better than the Radar, but did require you to identify the target. This could be difficult/impossible at night or in cloud. I have seen it being used to drop 112 lb practice bombs on Song Song range in Malaysia.

The Victor K1 and K2 had three windows in the nose for this purpose. Over the years on the K1 and K2 there had been no need for these, so whenever a window had become unserviceable it had been replaced by a metal plate, which was cheaper and lighter, so most aircraft had some or no windows.

When Op Corporate was activated there was a requirement for Photo Recce of Port Stanley, and the only aircraft which, with the aid of Air to Air Refuelling, could do it was the Victor K2. The first Victor K2s that went to Ascension in 1982 were all fitted with nose and left hand side windows to allow cameras to be operated. A major operation was required to retrieve windows from various old aircraft from the Fire Training Schools at Catterick and Manston, as well as Museums at Duxford and in the USA/Canada.

Fortunately we were never called upon the fly down Port Stanley runway at 250 ft in daylight to take photos. Surely a postumous DFC for the captain and bugger all for the others.
However I believe the Victor AARI on Black Buck One may have witnessed the attack from the Bomb Aimers position.

I have, however, used it in Victor K1s for the run in the airshows.

The Visual Bombing Course at Lindholme was standard for all Canberra, & V Bomber crews, as well as Argosy and Shackleton Navigators who were deploying to the Middle and Far East.
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