This story took place at the opening of the Falklands war, as a task force sailed towards the Falklands
to regain control after the Argentinian invasion and occupation. In order to minimise
the air threat to the task force, it was necessary to make the airstrip on the island unusable.
The RAF brass proposed an audacious plan -- to send a Vulcan bomber down to drop
ordinary bombs on it, rather than the nuclear variety they were originally designed to
deliver. It makes a gripping story and I won't spoil it for you by revealing whether or
not they were successful.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/4...g_Us?feature=player_

It was the first and last active service mission for Vulcans --
they were due to be scrapped and were, 6 months later.

Bloody amazing!

I get a headache just thinking about the ATO that would need to be written to describe the mission

That was an amazing story! Borderline crazy!! Not to mention they were hung over!! And all that effort for one hole on the end of the runway? I wonder if it truly had the psychological effect on the Argentieans that they think it did? Certainly a display of great courage and bravery!!

Operation Black Buck was actually planned as a series of SEVEN raids, five of which were actually flown the one outlined in episode of "most daring" against the airfield at Port Stanley was only he first of three to strike Port Stanley Airfield.

I seen that, but when you really look at it, all the resources the RAF had was for one airplane to make one strike and that was it. Yes it was the longest Bombing Raid in History(miles flown). England has gotten to the point were it can't defend itself. Not a good place to be. You look at the Order of Battle in 1982 vs 2013 The United Kingdom could not do it again and it looks like Argentina will try again.

Britain still has nuclear attack submarines

These have the capability of launching TLAM-D missiles

Frankly I think ONE Tomahawk Land Attack Missile with a cluster bomb dispenser warhead would make a bigger mess of Port Stanley airport with the 166 bomblets than the 60-odd 1000lb'ers that the RAF delivered via Vulcan thirty years ago.

I really doubt the Royal Navy would refrain from sending one (or more) such missile to each of Argentina's military airfields.
This would make an unholy mess of the argentine flight-lines
and likely turn 75% of their airforce into uncollected scrap metal before the echos faded

quote:

England has gotten to the point were it can't defend itself. Not a good place to be.

That is nanny state politics.
I worked for a US aircraft countermeasures manufacturer during that decade. That company went to maximum production of the ALE-40 countermeasure cartridges used on the Harrier and the rocket/mortar rounds used on the Super RBOC (super rapid blooming offboard chaff)used on the British brigates.
Literally the Brits could barely defend themselves. One puny aircraft carrier with a few harriers, a container ship and a few frigates. The Vulcan took 13 planes to relay it down there to this the runway with one bomb.

Basically Britian does not have the means to defend itself against a conventional war.

Hitler could not invade Britian but a Texas Bass tournament could.

The Vulcan Raid on the Falklands is documented in a fantastic book: Vulcan 607. Its an excellent read.