Shackleton WR977
 

Quoting from the book "Duty Carried Out" ( a history of WR977 ) it says about the Mk3 Phase3 Shacks that " in the late 50's, there was a plan for it to be equipped to carry Skybolt nuclear missiles, as a back-up to the V-bombers, though, perhaps fortunately, this never happened"
Was that really true. The mind boggles !

No, never. Vulcan only. A piston engined beast like the Shackleton with a Skybolt Air launched Ballistic Missile? Ridiculous.

No. Never. Not even as a plan. Basic physics prevents it even if it was ever envisaged, which it wasn't. A lumbering beast like a Shackleton with an air launched ballistic missile? Ridiculous.

The mind boggles to think of the sight of a Shackleton with a Skybolt that hadn't unlatched at launch.

Aside from the Shackleton none starter, I would loved to have seen Vulcan B.3s carrying Gnats!!

Alas it never got further than paper.

I remember once hearing about a proposal to put a Blue Steel on the VC-10 wing hardpoint as a V-Bomber back up.

There were some serious proposals to convert VC10s into bombers by adding Douglas Skybolt ALBMs. When Skybolt was canceled, many different loads were considered, all based around four hardpoints on the wing of the VC10 and a series of top-ups with fuel from a VC10 tanker. In this way the VC10 bomber could remain on station for an extended period.