Victor - as engine test bed?

[alisoncc]

An acquaintance recently wrote on an air force forum:

Whilst at Gan in 1967 a Victor landed with a fire in its tail. Full of curio I tried to have a look at it, but was ushered away by a snowdrop. Eventually when things died down I managed a good gander when "THEY" were working on it. The bomb bay of the Victor was non existant, in fact it looked like a fish that had had its gut area torn away. Mounted in the bomb bay was a rather large (jet ?) engine.

Any clues as to what it was all about? It has been suggested that it may have been Blue Steel, but this has been discounted as the "engine" appeared to have been "uncased".

[RedhillPhil]

I'm guessing that it might have been XL 513 that landed at Gan in 1966 following a bomb bay fire. Blue Steel? '513 was a Blue Steel carrier but...................

[alisoncc]

Any indications as to what may have caused the fire? If 513 had been carrying a spare engine in it's bomb bay, for whatever reason, which had caught fire enroute, could explain what happened.

I know our Vulcans used to carry strange things in their bomb bays sometimes. Once returning from a long range nav exercise to Goose Bay just before Christmas, on dropping the "container" we found it to be almost full of fresh salmon.

[Kieron Kirk]

From Roger Brooks "The Handley Page Victor", XL513 electrical fire in the bomb bay on landing at RAF Gan on 26th February 1966.

Repairs carried out by HP electrical team and from RAF Wittering. A/c returned to Wittering on 3rd August 1966.

To HP for CAT4R repair and wing strengthening mods 15th August 1966 until 2nd July 1967!

Ciarain.