24/10/56: BOAC order for 15 707-420, subject to “early replacement” by a UK type. Vickers, bruised by deletion of VC7, discusses 707 licence.
4/4/57: Defence White Paper. Confirmation of a Mk.2 Victor/Vulcan Force with stand-off bombs (Sandys bought much more than he chopped).
5/57: Order for BOAC, 35 (Standard) VC10. Rejected Avro/DH/HP schemes had cluttered/low wings. 107 Valiants completed 27/8/57: a successful production programme.
57/59 UK tries and fails to make Blue Steel, or any other ASM, work, due in part to heavy UK thermonuclear warhead.
1/59: Joint RAF/USAF Requirement for an ALBM, won 6/59 by (to be) Douglas Skybolt;
3/60: 10 Super VC10s added to BOAC’s Standard order, despite brochure attraction of JT3D-3B/707-320B, to be bought by every BOAC competitor not taking JT3D-7 DC-8/50.
6/6/60: UK buys 144 Skybolts.
60/61: Size and Shape of Bomber Command evolves; Phase 6 Vulcan and Mk.3 Victor schemes lapse. Solo-UK BAC X-12 ASM, Skybolt insurance, lapses 8/61. Blue Steel confined to 3 Sqds. Vulcan 2, and 2 Sqdns. Victor 2. BOAC’s order changes to 12 Standard and 30 Super VC10.
12/62: US chops Skybolt; RN SSBN Deterrent; Bomber Command to bridge just to 1968.
1963: Announcement of HI-LO-HI, not HI-HI-HI Bomber Command sortie profile. Delete HI-release ASMs.
1964: BOAC is tasked to consume less of our money. The first 2 707-320C are ordered; Chairman noisily tries to cancel Super VC10 due for April,1965…as he now realises he is expected actually to take delivery of them. Takes 17 with “compensation”, and adds many 707-320C.

(If I were conspiratorially-disposed, heavy, so clearly uneconomic VC10 was a Q-ship, military, disguised civil. Screwed not by Uncle Sam Boeing, but by Guideline SAM).