Avro Vulcan B2 XL443 captured during landing by Stuart H. Bourne. A Cold War-era strategic bomber preserved in imagery, now lost to history.
© Stuart H Bourne / Quality Aviation Photos International.
This photograph features Avro Vulcan B2 XL443 in the final moments of landing, its delta wing casting a commanding silhouette over the runway. Captured by aviation photographer Stuart H. Bourne, the image preserves a rare operational glimpse of one of Britain’s most iconic Cold War bombers.
Built in 1962 by Avro as part of the Vulcan B.2 series, XL443 served with the Royal Air Force, including time at RAF Scampton under No. 35 Squadron. Powered by four Bristol Siddeley Olympus 201/301 turbojets, the Vulcan was designed for high-altitude nuclear deterrence and later adapted for conventional roles.
XL443 was retired and scrapped in April 1982, making this image one of the few surviving visual records of its active service. The aircraft’s fate underscores the importance of photographic preservation in aviation history.
