Originally Posted by
Green Meat
This is presumably post V-Force strike as we've already seen the white beast rocketing skywards. Was the Vulcan (in particular) NBC proof in the modern sense and, if so, could it be turned around for a second go under fallout conditions or not?
White beast suggests the pre-low level days.
Under the Bomber Command War SOP 1st edn crews were instructed to contact the nearest British Embassy and Air Attache or Bomber Command on HF and seek instructions.
I believe there would have been sufficient Red Beard and possibly even Yellow Sun that had missed the first raid to a second strike. Given the assumption that the Soviet Union had insufficient weapons such that a 2nd strike was possible it is also possible that fallout would have been sufficiently low that crews could have survived long enough for a 2nd mission.
Once the force was forced to go low level I believe the Soviet capability had reached the point that a second strike was most unlikely to be mountable. The advice to call home was removed from the 2nd Edn.
Was the aircraft NBC proof? Possibly. It would fly with cabin airs off and crew on 100% oxygen. After flight of course there was no NBC clothing, respirators or anything until the early 70s, a gap of some 10 years.
Lots of what ifs and most highly dubious.