The decade of the 1960s introduced new
upgraded versions of the Vulcan B1a Bomber.
The Vulcans were upgraded to a Bmk2 standard
with wing spans increased and engine power
almost doubled .
In the case of the Vulcan Bmk2 its wingspan was
increased from 99 feet to 111 feet and fitted with
the Olympus 200 engine @17,000lbs thrust .
Onboard radar and jamming gear were fitted in
an enlarged tail cone plus electrical generation
systems were upgraded from 112 volts DC to
200 volts AC to help power these complex
electrical systems .
Production Vulcan Bmk 2’s made their first
flights from March 26th 1959 onwards and
entered service with OCU 230 on July 1st 1960 .
Of a total of 135 Vulcan’s produced 44 were Bmk
2 and 22 of these were fitted with the Olympus
301 engines @20,000lbs thrust . Unlike the
earlier Bmk 1/1a which standardised the
Olympus 104 engines there was no refit
programme for the earlier Bmk 2 and they
retained there original engines until the end .
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