Question! Why did the Vulcan have camo on its underside?

IIRC it was only the 200 series engined aircraft that had camouflaged undersides in service, which was why the ones used for Falklands raids (300 series engines) had the undersides hastily repainted in Dark Sea grey using rollers from the local B&Q!

I think that only the display Vulcan had camoflaged under surfaces. I remember reading somewhere that this was done to make it more visible to the audience. The usual ‘Could be wrong’ disclaimer applies…..

When XH558 was a K2 tanker it had Light Aircraft Grey undersides and was like that when it was briefly on the dump at Marham. When it was subsequently selected to replace the Vulcan Display Flight’s then current aircraft XL426, it was ferried to Kinloss and given a major servicing at the Nimrod Major Servicing Unit. As part of this it was fully repainted in what was known as the “wrap round” scheme, similar to XL426 but in lighter shades and in a high gloss finish. This was seen as the best long term weathering and corrosion preventative finish to keep the airframe looking good as Vulcan support facilities were wound up forever. The wrap-round scheme was indeed chosen for XH558 to make it more visible in the sky to airshow audiences and to represent a Vulcan Bomber in “late” operational service. In fact the new scheme was immediately “wrong” as it was given a “feathered edge” to the over-lapping of the camouflage colours wheras the painting diagram for the Vulcan gives it the requirement for a “hard edge” finish, also notable on the Buccaneer at this time. In fact the whole presentation of XH558 is a bit of a “representation” of an operational Vulcan as it really should have the TF thimble radar fairing on the front of the nose to be correct to the period that it attempts to represent. I remember seeing one stored on the correct trolley in one of the ORP huts at Honington in the mid ’80’s shortly before they chopped the IX Sqn HAS site gate guard up! It’s probably still there…

I think that only the display Vulcan had camoflaged under surfaces. I remember reading somewhere that this was done to make it more visible to the audience. The usual ‘Could be wrong’ disclaimer applies…..

Not so. Several Vulcans had overall Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey camo applied.

XL426 Vulcan B.2 by Irish251, on Flickr

RAF Vulcan B.2 at Waddington by Irish251, on Flickr

XM648 Vulcan B.2 by Irish251, on Flickr

Thank you for the info, very interesting indeed.

I think that only the display Vulcan had camoflaged under surfaces. I remember reading somewhere that this was done to make it more visible to the audience. The usual ‘Could be wrong’ disclaimer applies…..

It’s for when they flew in Australia, 🙂

Found it

Beginning in 1979, 10 Vulcans received a wrap-around camouflage of Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green[90][91] because, during Red Flag exercises in the USA, defending SAM forces had found that the grey-painted undersides of the Vulcan became much more visible against the ground at high angles of bank.[92]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan

XM607 Red Flag 1977 had the normal grey green on top, and brown tan underneath 🙂

Yeah – 2 years before the scheme change.

I would imagine it was initial visual tracking to get a lockon.

Just how effective was wrap-around camo against all the other, non visual, methods employed by SAM systems?;o)

XM607 Red Flag 1977 had the normal grey green on top, and brown tan underneath 🙂

Found it

With the adoption of low-level attack profiles in the mid-1960s, B.1As and B.2s were given a glossy Sea Grey Medium and Dark Green disruptive pattern camouflage on the upper surfaces, white undersurfaces and “type D” roundels. (The last 13 Vulcan B.2s, XM645 onwards, were delivered thus from the factory[89]). In the mid-1970s: Vulcan B.2s received a similar scheme with matte camouflage, Light Aircraft Grey undersides, and “low-visibility” roundels; B.2(MRR)s received a similar scheme in gloss; and the front half of the radomes were no longer painted black. Beginning in 1979, 10 Vulcans received a wrap-around camouflage of Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green[90][91] because, during Red Flag exercises in the USA, defending SAM forces had found that the grey-painted undersides of the Vulcan became much more visible against the ground at high angles of bank.[92]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan

It was originally locally applied in a Red Flag exercise….. they were well hidden at low level bar the shadow, but they found when it turned the light underside showed up for miles if I remember correctly