The Vulcan, Soviet Air Defence, and the Cold War Volume 2

The Vulcan, Soviet Air Defence, and the Cold War examines Vulcan B2 operations in nuclear war conditions, describes the effectiveness of Soviet air defences, and the operation of manned bombers in nuclear war and their probability of survival. Included is history of nuclear weapon development and the politics and debate in the UK over manned bombers versus ballistic missile during 1962-1972.

The Vulcan, Soviet Air Defence, and the Cold War details how the Vulcan B2 would have been flown operationally, with the use of the Navigation and Bombing Systems (NBS), against the Soviet air defences long enough to successfully deliver their nuclear payload in the event of the four-minute warning being given heralding impending strikes against the UK by Soviet ICBMs. Under such conditions the V-bomber force would have been required to scramble from their dispersal bases across the UK, cross the North Sea and penetrate the Soviet air defence system of radars, fighters, guns and surface to air missiles.

The author brings extensive personal experience with the V-bomber force and electronic warfare to this work and challenges the assumption of many historians that the manned bomber would have been unable to survive such conditions.