Do you mean 425 nm or km Marcantilan? Thanks for the information. However, I know people who, after all these years, and including some serious commentators, will still not accept or believe this.
Sorry, 425 km (230 nm). The CO of the VyCA unit deployed in the islands (the AAF AN/TPS-43 radar) wrote a very interesting book after the conflict called "Diario de Guerra del Radar Malvinas".
On page 109 it states:
"Early on May 1st happened which needs to happen; 425 km on bearing (azimut) 32° was an eco heading to Malvinas, which faded later. Nor the CIC, nor the radar operators knew if the eco was an own recce plane, or a British Nimrod or Victor, as happened many times before. It was the Vulcan which bombed the airport minutes later"
An add. A Skyguard fire control radar lock on the Vulcan when it was around 8 km from its position. His CO (2 Lt Barri) asked for permision to fire (in fact, free fire mode was established so no permision was needed), but his boss just asked questions. Seconds later, it was all over.
However Black Buck doesn't seem to be the reason for not forward deploying fast air to Stanley. (After all, if Stanley could operate QRA and the radar functioned that well you'd have put fighters there to intercept the raids - I assume?)
The AAF, on 23:15 April 2nd, 1982 (very, very early), asked for 80 pallets of aluminium boxes, three trucks and three bulldozers in order to enlarge the airstrip. The cargo must travel by sea due to its size. However, due to other urgent cargo needed in the islands, problemas with the loaded ship (ELMA Cordoba) AND lack of a suitable port to the quick disembark, just a portion of the alluminium strip arrived, and was used for other urgent need: the enlargement of the very limited platform area.
Thatīs the reason why high performance jets were not stationed in the islands: a lack of a suitable airstrip.
So we can say that fighters already tasked with DCA of the homeland were kept in that role with Black Buck being added to the list of reasons for doing so?
I think is correct.
Have in mind, also that BB1 has an psychological effect on the civilian population: black outs and bomb alarms were established. An scenario was the bombing of a city...
Regards!