Anti-flash white

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

British Avro Vulcans with dark roundels in 1957 Vulcan Bomber MOD 45133331.jpg
British Avro Vulcans with dark roundels in 1957

Anti-flash white is a white colour commonly seen on British, Soviet, and U.S. nuclear bombers. [1] The purpose of the colour is to reflect some of the thermal radiation from a nuclear explosion, protecting the aircraft and its occupants.[ citation needed ]

Contents

China

Some variants of the Xian H-6 had the underside of the fuselage painted anti-flash white. [2]

Soviet Union/Russia

A Tupolev Tu-22M with anti-flash white on the underside Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M3 Beltyukov.jpg
A Tupolev Tu-22M with anti-flash white on the underside

Some nuclear bombers had the underside of the fuselage painted anti-flash white with the upper surfaces painted light silver-gray. This was true for the specially fitted, single Soviet Tu-95V bomber that test-deployed the most powerful bomb of any kind – the 50+ MT-rating Tsar Bomba on 30 October 1961 – as it had the anti-flash white on all its undersurfaces and sides. [3]

Ukrainian Tupolev Tu-160 in all-over anti-flash white with pale fin flash Tupolev Tu-160 in 2008.jpg
Ukrainian Tupolev Tu-160 in all-over anti-flash white with pale fin flash

The Tupolev Tu-160 of the 1980s was the first series-built Soviet/Russian bomber aircraft to be painted anti-flash white all over, leading to its Beliy Lebed ("White Swan") Russian nickname. [4]

United Kingdom

A Blackburn Buccaneer at the 1962 Farnborough Airshow in anti-flash white with pale roundels Buccaneer 62.jpg
A Blackburn Buccaneer at the 1962 Farnborough Airshow in anti-flash white with pale roundels

Anti-flash white was used on the Royal Air Force V bombers force and the Royal Navy Blackburn Buccaneer when used in the nuclear strike role. Nuclear bombers were given – though not at first, until the problem was considered – salmon pink and baby blue roundels and fin flash rather than the traditional dark red, white and blue.

Anti-flash white was applied to several prototype aircraft, including the British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2. Paint used on the Avro Vulcan was manufactured by Cellon, and that on the Handley Page Victor by Titanine Ltd. [5]

United States

An E-6 Mercury airborne, painted in anti-flash white US Navy E-6 Mercury.jpg
An E-6 Mercury airborne, painted in anti-flash white
Anti-flash white
 
Gtk-dialog-info.svg    Color coordinates
Hex triplet #F2F3F4
sRGB B (r, g, b)(242, 243, 244)
HSV (h, s, v)(210°, 1%, 96%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(96, 1, 236°)
SourceColorHexa [6]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)

Many Strategic Air Command nuclear bombers carried anti-flash white without insignia on the underside of the fuselage with light silver-gray or natural metal (later light camouflage) on the upper surfaces. [7]

United States Navy E-6 aircraft remain painted in anti-flash white, as of October 2023.

Other aircraft

In addition to these military aircraft, Concorde was painted white to reduce the additional heating effect on the aluminium skin caused by the sun whilst the aircraft was flying at high altitudes, the skin temperature already being raised to over 90 °C (194 °F) at Mach 2 by aerodynamic heating.

Aircraft with at least part of the fuselage painted anti-flash white on nuclear delivery variants:

Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada

Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China

Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union/Flag of Russia.svg  Russia

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bomber</span> Heavy ground attack aircraft

A bomber is a military combat aircraft air-to-ground weaponry, launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an aircraft occurred in the Italo-Turkish War, with the first major deployments coming in the First World War and Second World War by all major airforces causing devastating damage to cities, towns, and rural areas. The first purpose built bombers were the Italian Caproni Ca 30 and British Bristol T.B.8, both of 1913. Some bombers were decorated with nose art or victory markings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Steel (missile)</span> Nuclear stand-off air-launched ballistic missile

The Avro Blue Steel was a British air-launched, rocket-propelled nuclear armed standoff missile, built to arm the V bomber force. It allowed the bomber to launch the missile against its target while still outside the range of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The missile proceeded to the target at speeds up to Mach 3, and would trigger within 100 m of the pre-defined target point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V bomber</span> Multi-model class of strategic bombers

The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Main Force. The three models of strategic bomber, known collectively as the V class, were the Vickers Valiant, which first flew in 1951 and entered service in 1955; the Avro Vulcan, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956; and the Handley Page Victor, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1957. The V Bomber force reached its peak in June 1964 with 50 Valiants, 70 Vulcans and 39 Victors in service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro Vulcan</span> British jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber

The Avro Vulcan is a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe and Company (Avro) designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced, the Vulcan was considered the most technically advanced, hence the riskiest option. Several reduced-scale aircraft, designated Avro 707s, were produced to test and refine the delta-wing design principles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers Valiant</span> British four-jet high-altitude bomber

The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response to Specification B.35/46 issued by the Air Ministry for a nuclear-armed jet-powered bomber. The Valiant was the first of the V bombers to become operational, and was followed by the Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan. The Valiant is the only V bomber to have dropped live nuclear weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strategic bomber</span> Type of military aircraft

A strategic bomber is a medium- to long-range penetration bomber aircraft designed to drop large amounts of air-to-ground weaponry onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating the enemy's capacity to wage war. Unlike tactical bombers, penetrators, fighter-bombers, and attack aircraft, which are used in air interdiction operations to attack enemy combatants and military equipment, strategic bombers are designed to fly into enemy territory to destroy strategic targets. In addition to strategic bombing, strategic bombers can be used for tactical missions. There are currently only three countries that operate strategic bombers: the United States, Russia and China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAC TSR-2</span> British reconnaissance strike aircraft prototype

The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2 is a cancelled Cold War strike and reconnaissance aircraft developed by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC), for the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The TSR-2 was designed around both conventional and nuclear weapons delivery: it was to penetrate well-defended frontline areas at low altitudes and very high speeds, and then attack high-value targets in rear areas. Another intended combat role was to provide high-altitude, high-speed stand-off, side-looking radar and photographic imagery and signals intelligence, aerial reconnaissance. Only one airframe flew and test flights and weight-rise during design indicated that the aircraft would be unable to meet its original stringent design specifications. The design specifications were reduced as the result of flight testing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-16</span> Soviet heavy bomber

The Tupolev Tu-16 is a twin-engined jet strategic heavy bomber used by the Soviet Union. It has been flown for almost 70 years, Soviets retired many of them after the Cold War ended, however, the Chinese license-built version Xian H-6 remains in service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force, with more being built as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy bomber</span> Bomber aircraft of the largest size and load carrying capacity

Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry and longest range of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the largest and most powerful military aircraft at any point in time. In the second half of the 20th century, heavy bombers were largely superseded by strategic bombers, which were often even larger in size, had much longer ranges and were capable of delivering nuclear bombs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handley Page Victor</span> British strategic bomber and tanker aircraft

The Handley Page Victor is a British jet-powered strategic bomber developed and produced by Handley Page during the Cold War. It was the third and final V bomber to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two being the Vickers Valiant and the Avro Vulcan. Entering service in 1958, the Victor was initially developed as part of the United Kingdom's airborne nuclear deterrent, but it was retired from the nuclear mission in 1968, following the discovery of fatigue cracks which had been exacerbated by the RAF's adoption of a low-altitude flight profile to avoid interception, and due to the pending introduction of the Royal Navy's submarine-launched Polaris missiles in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-4</span> Soviet strategic bomber aircraft, copy of B-29

The Tupolev Tu-4 is a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid-1960s. The aircraft was a copy of the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress, having been reverse-engineered from seized aircraft that had made emergency landings in the USSR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myasishchev M-4</span> Soviet strategic bomber and tanker aircraft

The Myasishchev M-4 Molot was a four-engined strategic bomber designed by Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev and manufactured by the Soviet Union in the 1950s to provide a Long Range Aviation bomber capable of attacking targets in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-95</span> Russian strategic bomber aircraft

The Tupolev Tu-95 is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Long-Range Aviation of the Soviet Air Forces in 1956 and was first used in combat in 2015. It is expected to serve the Russian Aerospace Forces until at least 2040.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-98</span> Type of aircraft

The Tupolev Tu-98 was a prototype swept wing jet bomber developed by Tupolev for the Soviet Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-14</span> Type of aircraft

The Tupolev Tu-14, was a Soviet twinjet light bomber derived from the Tupolev '73', the failed competitor to the Ilyushin Il-28 'Beagle'. It was used as a torpedo bomber by the mine-torpedo regiments of Soviet Naval Aviation between 1952–1959 and exported to the People's Republic of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-95LAL</span> Soviet experimental nuclear-powered bomber

The Tupolev Tu-95LAL experimental aircraft which flew from 1961 to 1965 was a modified Tupolev Tu-95 Soviet bomber aircraft, analogous to the United States' earlier Convair NB-36H. It was intended to see whether a nuclear reactor could be used to power an aircraft, primarily testing airborne operation of a reactor and shielding for components and crew. The reactor did not actually power the aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xi'an H-6</span> Chinese strategic bomber aircraft

The Xi'an H-6 is a twin-engine jet bomber of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The H-6 is a license-built version of the Soviet Tupolev Tu-16 and remains the primary bomber aircraft of the People's Republic of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avro 730</span> Type of aircraft

The Avro 730 was a planned Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft and strategic bomber that was being developed by Avro Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF). It had been originally envisioned as a very high-speed aircraft to perform aerial reconnaissance missions, conforming with the requirements of Air Ministry Specification OR.330. Avro subsequently decided to modify the design of the proposed 730 in order to accommodate its arming with nuclear weapons; this change therefore meant that the type would be able to perform the nuclear weapons delivery mission as well, which had been called for under Air Ministry Specification RB.156T which sought a high speed reconnaissance-bomber aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Air Force roundels</span> Aircraft identification marks of the UK defence forces

The air forces of the United Kingdom – the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, the Army's Army Air Corps and the Royal Air Force use a roundel, a circular identification mark, painted on aircraft to identify them to other aircraft and ground forces. In one form or another, it has been used on British military aircraft from 1915 to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 44 Squadron RAF</span> Defunct flying squadron of the Royal Air Force

Number 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron was an aviation unit of the Royal Air Force. It was active between 1917 and 1982. For most of its history it served as a heavy bomber squadron.

References

  1. "B36 in "anti-atom" finish over Kent". Flight : 741. 11 November 1955. Archived from the original (pdf) on 3 August 2016.
  2. "[2.0] Reconnaissance & Special-Mission Tu-16s / Xian H-6". www.airvector (in English and Chinese). 11 October 2022.
  3. "RDS 202: Tsar Bomb, The Biggest Bomb Ever". Youtube. 17 July 2009. Event occurs at 1:15 to 1:50. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  4. "'White swan' – Russian supersonic aircraft". Moscow Top News. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
  5. "Titanine aircraft finishes are used on the Handley-Page Victor". Flight : 1. 1 January 1954.
  6. "Munsell / #f2f3f4 hex color". ColorHexa. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  7. Lake International Air Power Review Spring 2003, p. 121.
  8. Philip J. R. Moyes (1964). Bomber Squadrons of the R.A.F. And Their Aircraft. MacDonald. p. 98.