No. 1321 Flight RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 1321 Bomber Training Flight RAF was first formed at RAF Bottesford
on 1 September 1944 as a fighter affiliation unit to train bomber crews from No. 5 Group Bomber Command how to defend their aircraft. The Flight was disbanded two months later on 1 November 1944 and absorbed by the units they trained before, 1668 Heavy Conversion Unit
and 1669 Heavy Conversion Unit
.
No. 1321 (Valiant/Blue Danube Trials) Flight RAF was reformed at RAF Wittering
on 3 August 1954 as a Vickers Valiant
unit to integrate the Blue Danube
nuclear weapon into Royal Air Force
service.
It was commanded by Squadron Leader
D. Roberts, formerly commanding officer of No. 617 Squadron
. Squadron Leader Roberts had earlier reported to Wisley Airfield
, the Vickers-Armstrongs flight test airfield in Surrey, expecting to take a three week conversion course to the Valiant. Instead he remained there for 15 months until he reported to Wittering to command 1321 Flight.
1321 Flight's first aircraft was the Valiant WP201. Roberts and his crew flew it from Wisley to Wittering on 15 June 1955 to begin an intensive program of integration tests. The tests had two main separate components:
A variety of BTV (Ballistic Test Vehicle) drops were carried out at various heights and speeds at the experimental Bombing Range on Orfordness. The ballistic performance of the weapon was found to be so good that there was a risk of it not leaving the slipstream of the bomber and consequently flying along with the aircraft. Retractable spoilers were fitted to the underside of the fuselage, just forward of the bomb bay in order to induce turbulence within the bomb bay enabling the bomb to fall away.
All the live nuclear weapons dropped at Maralinga (Australia) and Christmas Island
(Pacific Ocean) were assembled, pre-drop tested and loaded on to specially prepared Valiant bombers of 49 Squadron
and 138 Squadron
by the small team of technical specialists from 1321 Flight.
The life of 1321 (Valiant/Blue Danube Trials) Flight came to an end on 15 March 1956 when it became 'C' Flight of No. 138 Squadron, the first regular Valiant unit.
The flight was reformed, once again, by the merger of the Avro Lincoln
element of 199 Squadron
, called Arrow Squadron and Antler Squadron, to become No. 1321 (ECM) Flight RAF at RAF Hemswell
on 1 October 1957, disbanding on 31 March 1958 and absorbed by the Bomber Command Bombing School.
RAF Bottesford
RAF Station Bottesford is a former World War II airfield on the Leicestershire-Lincolnshire county border in England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Radcliffe on Trent; about north-northwest of London...
on 1 September 1944 as a fighter affiliation unit to train bomber crews from No. 5 Group Bomber Command how to defend their aircraft. The Flight was disbanded two months later on 1 November 1944 and absorbed by the units they trained before, 1668 Heavy Conversion Unit
Royal Air Force Conversion Units
Conversion Units and Operational Conversion Units were training units of the Royal Air Force.-History:With the introduction of the new heavy bombers, the 4-engined Short Stirling, Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax, into service, the Royal Air Force introduced Heavy Conversion Units...
and 1669 Heavy Conversion Unit
Royal Air Force Conversion Units
Conversion Units and Operational Conversion Units were training units of the Royal Air Force.-History:With the introduction of the new heavy bombers, the 4-engined Short Stirling, Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax, into service, the Royal Air Force introduced Heavy Conversion Units...
.
No. 1321 (Valiant/Blue Danube Trials) Flight RAF was reformed at RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....
on 3 August 1954 as a Vickers Valiant
Vickers Valiant
The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s...
unit to integrate the Blue Danube
Blue Danube (nuclear weapon)
Blue Danube was the first operational British nuclear weapon. It also went by a variety of other names, including Smallboy, the Mk.1 Atom Bomb, Special Bomb and OR.1001, a reference to the Operational Requirement it was built to fill...
nuclear weapon into Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
service.
It was commanded by Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
D. Roberts, formerly commanding officer of No. 617 Squadron
No. 617 Squadron RAF
No. 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It currently operates the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role...
. Squadron Leader Roberts had earlier reported to Wisley Airfield
Wisley Airfield
-History:Built in 1944, the airfield was built for the flight testing of aircraft built at Vickers aircraft factory at the nearby Brooklands. New aircraft types making their first flights from Wisley included the Vickers VC.1 Viking, Valetta, Varsity, Viscount and Valiant...
, the Vickers-Armstrongs flight test airfield in Surrey, expecting to take a three week conversion course to the Valiant. Instead he remained there for 15 months until he reported to Wittering to command 1321 Flight.
1321 Flight's first aircraft was the Valiant WP201. Roberts and his crew flew it from Wisley to Wittering on 15 June 1955 to begin an intensive program of integration tests. The tests had two main separate components:
- Ballistic performance of the bomb casing at various altitudes and speeds
- Testing of the equipment from the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment under operational conditions
A variety of BTV (Ballistic Test Vehicle) drops were carried out at various heights and speeds at the experimental Bombing Range on Orfordness. The ballistic performance of the weapon was found to be so good that there was a risk of it not leaving the slipstream of the bomber and consequently flying along with the aircraft. Retractable spoilers were fitted to the underside of the fuselage, just forward of the bomb bay in order to induce turbulence within the bomb bay enabling the bomb to fall away.
All the live nuclear weapons dropped at Maralinga (Australia) and Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
(Pacific Ocean) were assembled, pre-drop tested and loaded on to specially prepared Valiant bombers of 49 Squadron
No. 49 Squadron RAF
No. 49 Squadron was a bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force from 1938 to 1965. They received their first Hampdens in September 1938.They were a famous Hampden squadron; with the only Victoria Cross awarded Rod Learoyd amongst the ones who served on the type....
and 138 Squadron
No. 138 Squadron RAF
No. 138 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the Royal Air Force that served in a variety of roles during its career, last disbanded in 1962. It was the first 'V-bomber' squadron of the RAF, flying the Vickers Valiant between 1955 and 1962....
by the small team of technical specialists from 1321 Flight.
The life of 1321 (Valiant/Blue Danube Trials) Flight came to an end on 15 March 1956 when it became 'C' Flight of No. 138 Squadron, the first regular Valiant unit.
The flight was reformed, once again, by the merger of the Avro Lincoln
Avro Lincoln
The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II...
element of 199 Squadron
No. 199 Squadron RAF
No. 199 Squadron was a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron that operated during the second world war and later in the 1950s as a radar countermeasures squadron.-History:...
, called Arrow Squadron and Antler Squadron, to become No. 1321 (ECM) Flight RAF at RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell
RAF Hemswell was an airfield used by RAF Bomber Command for 20 years between 1937 and 1957 and saw most of its operational life during World War II. Later used by RAF Fighter Command as a nuclear ballistic missile base during the Cold War it closed to military use in 1967...
on 1 October 1957, disbanding on 31 March 1958 and absorbed by the Bomber Command Bombing School.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 1944 | 1 November 1944 | Hawker Hurricane Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force... |
Mk.IIc | LF180; PZ735 |
| 3 August 1954 | 15 March 1956 | Vickers Valiant Vickers Valiant The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s... |
B.1 | WP201 |
| 1 October 1957 | 31 March 1958 | Avro Lincoln Avro Lincoln The Avro Type 694, better known as the Avro Lincoln, was a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were known initially as the Lancaster IV and V, but were renamed Lincoln I and II... English Electric Canberra English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957... |
B.2 B.2 |
SX951 WJ616 |
Flight bases
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 1 September 1944 | 1 November 1944 | RAF Bottesford RAF Bottesford RAF Station Bottesford is a former World War II airfield on the Leicestershire-Lincolnshire county border in England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Radcliffe on Trent; about north-northwest of London... , Leicestershire Leicestershire Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire... |
| 3 August 1954 | 15 March 1956 | RAF Wittering RAF Wittering RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.... , Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west... |
| 1 October 1957 | 31 March 1958 | RAF Hemswell RAF Hemswell RAF Hemswell was an airfield used by RAF Bomber Command for 20 years between 1937 and 1957 and saw most of its operational life during World War II. Later used by RAF Fighter Command as a nuclear ballistic missile base during the Cold War it closed to military use in 1967... , Lincolnshire Lincolnshire Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders... |