| Vickers Type 660 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vickers Type 660 Valiant Prototype in bare aluminium default livery | |
| Aircraft | Type 660 |
| Manufacturer | Vickers Supermarine |
| Power | Jet |
| Primary Use | Prototype |
| Developer | Daniel_g |
| X-Plane Version | 8.64 |
| Development Status | Published |
| Publisher | X-Plane.org |
| Licence | Freeware |
Aircraft Background[]
Three months before the end of WW2 in Europe, the Air Ministry appointed Shorts Aircraft to undertake a feasibility study on high speed jet bombers. The conclusion was that an aircraft with a 5000 mile range and 500 mph cruising speed could be built without any revolutionary new technology. Two years after this study was initiated, the attention of Bomber Command had turned to a mission that would be it’s focus for the next 30 years - delivering a nuclear weapon on Moscow.
The V Bomber force was born with ministry requirement B.35/46 for a new bomber that would use speed and altitude to evade enemy defenses. Cruising at 575 mph and 40-50,000 feet, the aircraft would have to deliver a 20,000 lbs bomb load 1500 miles.
The Type 660 did not meet these exacting requirements. Vickers opted for higher altitude reducing the Type 660’s cruise speed to 530mph. The requirements were met by the more advanced designs of Avro, Handley Page and Armstrong Whitworth. This put the Air Ministry in a quandary, as these three aircraft were more advanced than the original Shorts feasibility study had suggested.
The simpler technology of Chief Designer George Edwards’ ‘unfunny aircraft’, and some heavy lobbying by Vickers encouraged the Air Ministry to raise specification B.9/48 for the Type 660 as an ‘insurance policy’ against the technological gambles of the Valiant and the Vulcan. Strict criteria for delivery date and that there would be no scale text bed aircraft were set.
Three years after the contract was signed in May 1951, prototype WB210 took to the air. It made an appearance at the Farnborough air show in September that year before being lost to an in-flight fuel fire in January 1952.
X-Plane Development[]
There are no additional liveries with this aircraft
Installation & Flight[]
See Also[]
- Vickers Valiant B1
- Vickers Valiant B2
- Vickers Jet Bomber