Aircraft hub · 1952

Avro Vulcan

The Avro Vulcan (B.2) appears at 11 UK museums in the Aviation Gazetteer.

11
Museums
1952
First flight
136
Built
645 mph
Top speed
Early jet age
Era

Last verified 2026-08-09 against the gazetteer Compendium. Airframes move — confirm on museum pages before travel.

On charge

Where to see the Avro Vulcan in the UK

The gazetteer records 12 Avro Vulcan airframes (including cockpit sections and replicas where noted) across 11 UK collections, in 6 regions: London & Around, East of England, South West England, Midlands & Lincolnshire, Northern England, Scotland.

MuseumCityRegionAirframes recorded
Avro Heritage Museum Stockport Northern England Avro Vulcan B.2 XM603
Avro Vulcan B.2 (cockpit) XM602
Bournemouth Aviation Museum Christchurch South West England Avro Vulcan B.2 (MRR) XH537 – Nose section only
IWM Duxford Cambridge East of England Avro Vulcan B.2 XJ824
Midland Air Museum Coventry Midlands & Lincolnshire Avro Vulcan B.2
Morayvia Forres Scotland Avro Vulcan B.2 XH563 (cockpit)
National Museum Of Flight North Berwick Scotland Avro Vulcan B.2A (Black Buck raider) XM597
Newark Air Museum Newark Midlands & Lincolnshire Avro Vulcan B.2
Royal Air Force Museum London London London & Around Avro Vulcan B.2 XL318
Royal Air Force Museum Midlands Shifnal Midlands & Lincolnshire Hawker Siddeley Vulcan B.2 XM598
Solway Aviation Museum Crosby on Eden Northern England Avro Vulcan B.2 XJ823
Vulcan Restoration Trust (XL426), Southend Southend-on-Sea East of England Avro Vulcan B.2, live and taxiable XL426
Why it matters

The short story

The delta that guarded the deterrent, then flew the longest bombing raid in history to crater a Falklands runway on retirement week. The howl of its intakes at full power has its own fan clubs; hear it at the taxi-run days at Southend, Wellesbourne and Doncaster, where three of them still run up in anger. Eleven museums hold one — none fly, all loom.

Type notes

The Avro Vulcan in brief

TypeAvro Vulcan (B.2)
First flight1952
EraEarly jet age
Number built136
Top speed645 mph
UK museums holding one11
Airframes recorded in this survey12

Serials are the gazetteer's survey snapshot of what each collection records on charge — restorations move between workshops and reserve hangars, so check the museum page for opening times and current display status before travelling. Every type across all 118 museums is indexed in the Compendium.

Where to see a VulcanCompendiumGazetteer