Wraparound Camouflage
The first airframe to feature wraparound camouflage was that flown by OC/RAF Det during Night Red Flag in Nov/Dec 79 at Nellis AFB (in fact known as Red Flag 80/1 for USAF budgetary reasons). Of the four aeroplanes used, it was certainly not XL 426 nor XM 606, but may have been XM 612; I cannot recall the fourth airframe.
As for 617's bombing pre-eminence during 1979-81, particularly over their Scampton Cowboy neighbours, it was simply down to better nav radars.