Fluffy, I believe the comment was perfectly valid in context.
The whole Free Fall Force did indeed have a conventional capability but one which was certainly on the wane by 1982. In the 60s one Vulcan wing covered NEAF and the other covered FEAF. By the 70s the FEAF role had ceased and the NEAF role was vested in the Akrotiri Bomber Wing.
The NEAF role probably ended with the withdrawal from Malta and the return of the Akrotiri Wing to UK. There after force draw down and rationalisation probably reduced the conventional role to insignificance.
The IFR kit had been unused since the Valiant force was grounded but as far as I knew was still operable into the 70s as all aircraft retained the probes as late as 1974.
Certainly on a different force there was an examination of aircraft kit carried but rarely, if ever, used. If it was not used we could save manpower by stopping servicing of the kit. I would guess the Vulcan IFR was a similar casualty.