Handley Page Victor

[Mossie]

Regarding the RATO pods, make them jettisionable, then you wouldn't have to worry about drag.  Would be a much simpler soloution to upgrading the engines & would only need to be fitted when required.

[Weaver]

Or, could you fit RATO in the rear fuselage with retractable nozzles as per the SAAF Buccaneers?

[GTX]

Another drawing of the proposed under wing bomb containers - note there were at least 2 proposed versions:  one under the engines and one further out on the wing roughly where the B.2's fuel pods were:



Regards,

Greg

[GTX]

Re thrust augmentation - here is a real world proposal:  In the late 1950s, Handley-Page put forward a proposal to increase the installed thrust (and hence MTOW) in Victor B.Mk1/1A by adding two booster turbojets in over wing nacelles with intake-doors, to be used for take-off and initial climb. Bristol Orpheus, Rolls-Royce RB-162 and Armstrong-Siddeley Viper were considered. (words from Stargazer on Secret Projects).

Some pics:



including this hard to see one which shows the proposed additional engine installation:



and finally, a photo of the RATO pods trialled on the Victor:



One option I'm thinking of is to fit something like these rockets in the rear of the bomb pods.

Regards,

Greg

[Mossie]

Mixing bombs & rocket fuel seems a little worrying to me!  Not that it's not a possible soloution, I was always slightly alarmed at the Matra pod variant that had the rockets bolted on to the front of a drop tank.  I suppose if something goes whoops, you've got big chunks of aircraft grade aluminium falling to the ground wether it's near bombs or not!

Great material Greg, thanks for sharing!

[GTX]

Hi folks,

An idea that's getting gradually refined over time and will sit on the backburner until a suitable kit comes available.

What if the RAAF decided to stay in the Heavy Bomber business when they replaced the Avro Lincons?  My proposal is that when they bought the Canberras, they also got 2 Sqns of HP Victors.  However, these bombers will be without compromise - e.g. more powerful engines (haven't decided what yet), ejection seats for all crew members, maximum conventional bomb load (belly and wing pods), wingtip fuel tanks, either extra engines or RATO plus tail guns.  The resultant Victor B. 21s (my designation) also operate alongside USAF B-52s over Vietnam.  Idea's are still fluid, though to help illustrate the idea, I did this drawing (without the wing-tip pods or bomb pods:



I also asked John to do some possible colour schemes - what do you think?





As I said, I will continue refining (suggestions welcome) whilst awaiting a suitable kit to become available.

Regards,

Greg

[rickshaw]

The RAAF was interested in the Vulcan initially.  I personally prefer the Victor on looks alone.  The Canberras operated out of Phan Rang wearing their standard Dark Grey/Green camouflage, didn't they?  I'd suggest that was more likely than anything else.   The RAAF didn't go in for "fancy" cam schemes until the 1980s.

[Shasper]

Greg - I'm digging the aussi Vic idea, sounds almost real world (wish it was, Vics alongside Pig or Tessies is da bomb). Can't wait to see how this turns out!

Something I've been working on for awhile is a Vic K.2 all modded up for testing stuff for the Black Buck program, got an old lindberg kit in the works with new lumps n bumps, wing pylons etc.
Has there been any Vics used for test/eval purposes & were any of them "unique" in nature?

[Weaver]

Since many of us in the UK now appear to have a surplus of Victors courtesy of the Modelzone sale (and of course, have NO intention of putting them on ebay as soon as the new Airfix Valiant drives up demand for all V-bomber kits.....), I thought it was time to resurrect this thread.

So, Victor whiff ideas:

1. Vulcan never gets built because Avro is full of Arrow work for the RAF. Victor therefore has to take on low-level role post-64. Two options:

1a. Crop the wings more, to approach the condition of the Daisy Cutter design but starting with a conversion, not a new build.

1b. The Valiant B.2 was produced in substantial numbers and can cover the low-level role, so the Victors get stand-off missiles like Skybolt or W.140, or a low-level cruise type.


2. Flying boat hull. You KNOW you want to......


3. Super Victor or BUFV. Take two of the now cheap Revell kits and cut one up to extend the fuselage and wings of the other to B-52 proportions.

Fuselage: rear fuse is a straight tube, so a simple plug is no problem. Front fuse would either need a tubular plug in between the wings (which might work well with wing mods), or a plug in the middle of the ventral bulge, and that would almost certainly require a bigger fin....

Wings: you could lengthen the chord of one set of engines and fit them inboard of the originals to make it eight-engined. Alternatively, you could lengthen the chord of various bits of wing and splice them into the originals without the engines to make a big, clean wing, then fit four whacking great medium-bypass turbofans on overwing pylons above the trailing edge.


4. The whole thing looks like a WWII German project (I forget the name), so backdate it: take off the radar bulge and most of the aerials and add various German-style defensive guns.

[Mossie]

I wonder how well Cammet's Nimrod AEW.3 conversion would fit the Victor???

[Hobbes]

I've read that an early Victor B.1 reached Mach 1.1 in a shallow dive, and it got me thinking: What if HP decided to make that 'official' and develop a low-supersonic version of the Victor? Something along the lines of the Rockwell B-1.

- replace the engines with afterburning Olympus
- redesign the front fuselage for less drag, losing the chin radome
- shorten the wingspan, or make swing wings

This would be quite a beast...

[pyro-manic]

There're Supersonic Victor plans in BSP Bombers, some more radical than others. All rather nifty-looking though.

[Mossie]

The supersonic project was the Victor Phase 4.  Mach 1.1 max, mach 1.06 at 65,000ft, range 5,270 miles, powered by reheated Conway 31's.  There's a small amount in the Aerofax guide on the Victor as well.

From Air Vectors & pretty much like Hobbes idea, not unlike a B-1B.

[Hobbes]

   It seems no matter how nuts an idea, actual aircraft designers have come up with it already...

[MAD]

Wow 

How did I miss these fantastic joint GTX/Maverick Victor B.21 beauties
Love the tail gun arrangement!

I`m a little disappointed that you put no backstory to it Greg Especially the Vietnam side of things! and what about the anti-flash white finished job? Special Weapons

M.A.D