Vulcan (and others) destructors

[Pontius Navigator]

The Vulcan had a handle on the port side, aft of the radome and by the fire axe stowage (IIRC) labelled Destructor.

Now I seem to recall being told that in wartime explosive charges would be fitted - in or by the fuel tanks? - so that the aircraft could be destroyed if it came down in enemy territory.

AFAIK these were never fitted even to QRA aircraft and I knew of no procedures (1968) to so do.

Now it is possible that it was specified for use in the 1950s when a nuclear exchange was likely to be less than total or possibly if the aircraft came down on a conventional mission.

Anyone know anything more about this? Maybe it was like the radiation monitor stowage behind the pilot's seat in the Nimrod - there but defunct.

[alisoncc]

Many aspects of the H2S radar were "state of the art" at the time. Most probable intent was to destroy it to prevent it falling into enemy hands.

One of our NBS guys was a good friend, he was more nav computer/display oriented, and I "helped" out with the radar aspects. Biggest problem we had was that all the manuals were held in secure storage, even his course notes, and application had to be made to the Eng Off for access. Which was a real PITA.

[Pontius Navigator]

Alison, our aircrew notes were not classified but then you couldn't build an H2S using them :)

I do remember watching one of those training films we used to produce when we had money for professional film production, properly printed APs etc, which was about Green Satin. It showed how it worked and was a Canberra flying a route. It showed the Janus array pattern and the frequency beating against a radiation pattern on the ground. The aerial then aligned itself with the aircraft track.

That was in 1962 and was I think confidential - the military had state of the art kit compared with civil aviation :) - well maybe it did when the only large jets were military with the exception of the Comet, but by 1962 the film was probably more than 5 years old.

[alisoncc]

our aircrew notes were not classified but then you couldn't build an H2S using themI was referring to the documentation belong the techie/eng guy who was tasked with maintaining it. We never expected the guys who flew the airies to understand how the kit worked. They were just Users. :ok:

Still got bits of Green Satin waveguide in my goodies box. It was smart stuff in it's day.

[Fareastdriver]

The NBS repair and maintenance building at Honington was so secure that it was nicknamed ,'The Kremlin.'

[ian16th]

Still got bits of Green Satin waveguide in my goodies box. It was smart stuff in it's day.

I've still got my course notes and the cct diagrams :ok:

[scarecrow450]

The NBS repair and maintenance building at Honington was so secure that it was nicknamed ,'The Kremlin.'

If that was behind the tower it was the same when we shut the afd down in 94, it was the Skyshadow and comms bay then.

[Fareastdriver]

It is just by the most westerly building of the main site. Looking on Google Earth you can see the octagonal roof of the NBS scanner room.

[Hipper]

Worth reminding about this site:

Tatjana van Vark ~ Navigation and Bombing System NBS (http://www.tatjavanvark.nl/tvve/dduck0.html)

I have Valiant Pilot Notes and it refers to Aircraft Destructors in paragraphs 135 and 136 of part I.

It says there were two destructors 'stowed in containers on the outside of the pressure cabin under the canopy fairing and just aft of the sextant dome. Access to them is obtained by removing the sextant dome.'

'The most effective position of application of the destructors is on the top of the fuselage over the fuselage fuel tanks, choosing tanks which are still fairly full of fuel. The destructors should not both be fitted above the same cell, and each should be about 2 to 3 feet from the centreline. The positions of the cells can be judged from the relative positions of the bomb hoists....... The method of application is covered in Part V, para 21.'

Part V, para 21 says: All but two crew members should evacuate the aircraft. The two remaining crew should remove the sextant dome and then one climbs out on top of the fuselage whilst the other stands on the chart table, unseals and opens the destructor containers and passes them out to the other crew member and climbs out too.

Each crew member moistens the destruction suction cup and applies the destructor in the selected position (as decided above). Then, 'retaining a grip on the flyoff levers, the crew members remove the transit and primary safety pins and then, at a pre-arranged signal, release the fly-over levers.

Both crew members leave the aircraft as quickly as possible and take cover. A built in time delay allows 60 seconds between releasing the fly-off levers and the firing of the destructors.

[PAXboy]

Thank you SO much Hipper for telling us that:
... moistens the destruction suction cup ... the destruction of a priceless item of technology that must not be allowed to fall into enemy hands - relies on a suction cup moistened by some poor bloke whose mouth will be dry as a bone as he considers who might be about to take a pot shot as he climbs on to the wing in full view! :eek:

If the cup does not stick then - just as he's getting off the wing - the charge rolls off after him .... :uhoh:

Goons? Monty Python? :p

[Hipper]

I should point out the instructions don't specify any particular part of the anatomy to moisten the suction cups.....:)

[Hipper]

A friend of mine, Pete Sharp, a former Chief Technician on V Bombers gave me the following information and pictures:

I was fully familiar with the aircraft destructors on the Valiant but have no experience of ever having fitting them. Two were fitted externally in separate stowage containers under the canopy fairing aft of the sextant dome. They were to be removed by the "surviving" crew members and placed over the fuselage fuel tanks and the short safety fuze lit. I do not know if it stated on the side of the destructor "Light blue touch paper and retire immediately!" or not!!!!!!!, but it would have been advisable! The destructors were old WW2 incendiary bombs which were thermite initiated, hexagonal magnesium bombs. We were never given any instruction as to fitting them and not even sure that the explosives area carried sufficient numbers to equip all of the aircraft with anyway [at Marham this would have been about 64 - two per aircraft]. We always carried a supply in the Ex Site as we used them for what we called High Temperature Burns, which was a fancy name for a - big very hot fire - aka Bonfire, when we had to dispose of ammunition by burning. By this time [1960's] they were all called, Destructors Incendiary No1 Mk1., but were just the same as the bomb, sans tail and striker assemblies, with the addition of an electrical initiator bridge with two small yellow wires coiled neatly around the destructor, [small squib] to enable electrical functioning and also a hole for the safety fuze to be inserted when using the safety fuse and match ignition option. During disposal duties, these modifications permitted a choice of intitiation techniques, either as per disposal instructions or operators whim.

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