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What does it take to conserve a Cold War bomber?

Duxford’s Handley Page Victor is the last surviving aircraft of its kind. After five years of restoration, it’s almost ready to go on display. It has undergone significant conservation work, involving the removal of its wings and the refabrication of damaged components. The project is one of the largest ever undertaken by the team at Duxford. The Victor was one of the British ‘V bombers’, along with the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. It was designed to be a high level strategic nuclear bomber. Duxford’s Victor (XH648) first flew in November 1959. Built as a B1 model, it was delivered to 57 Squadron at RAF Honington in December of the same year. In October 1960, it returned to Handley Page for conversion to a B1A status. It was fitted with new electronic countermeasure equipment and improved radio and radar equipment. The engines were also changed to Sapphire Mark 20701s. Following conversion and test flights, XH648 was delivered to RAF Cottesmore in May 1961 to join 15 Squadron. It flew as part of the Far East Air Force during the confrontation with Indonesia in 1962-63. It became the only Victor to ever drop a full bomb load of 36,000 pounds.

 

On its return to Britain, XH648 remained with 15 Squadron until it was delivered back to RAF Honington to join 55 Squadron in April 1964.

Less than a year later it was repurposed as a refuelling aircraft. It was converted into a two-point tanker, making it a B (K) IA model. This entailed the fitting of Mark 20B refuelling pods under each wing.

It then returned to 55 Squadron, who shortly afterwards moved to RAF Marham, where it resided for the next ten years.

On 23 June 1975, XH648 was transferred to 57 Squadron, where it supported the squadron’s final year as a Mark I tanker squadron. After nearly 17 years of service, it was retired to Duxford on 2 June 1976.

Due to its sheer scale, XH648 was kept outside at Duxford for many years. In 2007, it was finally brought into a hangar, and in 2017 the restoration project began. The team started by conducting a full survey inside and out, practically disassembling the entire aircraft.

The rarity of this type of aircraft meant that the team were unsure exactly what they would find. A particular challenge was learning how the aircraft was put together. Many British aircraft of the time were hand manufactured, not mass produced. Much of the knowledge used to build them has been lost.

XH648 was built using materials which included the latest modern aluminiums of the time, plastics, nylons and even wood. Each different component requires a different conservation approach.

Wherever possible, the aircraft’s original hardware has been retained. The team were able to source some replacement nuts, bolts and rivets when necessary. Parts could also be manufactured specially if they needed replacing.

The team employed a number of conservation techniques including the use of chemicals, blasting techniques and even experimental laser paint stripping techniques.

When it is finished, the Victor will be in the colours of 57 Squadron. It will have a full gloss, green and grey camouflage colour scheme with a white underside, just as it did when it arrived at Duxford in 1976.

On 20 April, the Victor was moved to its new permanent home, the Conservation Hall in AirSpace. Over the next six weeks, it will undergo the final stages of its conservation. The public will be able to witness the reattachment of the wings, which will finally return the Victor to its 110-foot wingspan.

To learn more about the restoration project, and to find out how you can support IWM to continue its conservation work, visit our website.