Once the force went low level the FF Vulcans would have been hard pushed to cover Moscow and as far as I am aware any coverage would have been the Blue Steel Victors and Vulcans - with 5 aircraft on QRA.
The low level launch of the Blue Steel meant a much closer approach to the target but the missile flight path would then be inside the SA1/2 envelope. It was the missile that was more vulnerable, not the aircraft.
PN, many thanks. What I was referring to was meeting the Moscow Criterion in terms of certainty for attacker and defender, and thus deterrent effect from a UK-only operation. It was in this sense that the Criterion's credibility was contested, as the whole Soviet IADS would have been on the lookout for a small number of V-bombers.
Of course the aircraft was the back up if the Blue Steel went U/S - very sporty doing a popup attack.
I'm sure...
What was the plan - to toss an unserviceable Blue Steel from low-level? How reliable was Blue Steel when carried?
S41