→ Port Stanley Airfield – after the raid!

The only time the Vulcan was used in anger was during the South Atlantic Conflict in 1982, when Vulcans, each supported by 13 Victor air-to-air refuelling tankers, flew 7 missions from Ascension Island tothe Falkland Islands. The 1st "Black Buck" sortie, with the Vulcan armed with twenty-one 450kg conventional bombs, placed one bomb in the centre of the runway at Port Stanley airfield, proving its vulnerability and causing the Argentine invaders to change their plans. These raids captured the world record at the time for the longest-ever bombing mission: a return journey of nearly 8000 miles (12,500km), taking 15 hrs 45 mins.

1st Bombing Mission "Black Buck One" (Bottom strip) - 1st May 1982. 2nd Bombing Mission "Black Buck Two" (Top strip) - 3rd May 1982. 1st Bomb hits centre of runway.

Martin Withers DFC, was the captain of Black Buck 1 and later became Chief Display Pilot with the Vulcan to the Sky Trust and its Flight Operations Director, regularly flying Vulcan XH558 at airshows across the country. He made the last landing at Doncaster on 28th October 2015.