Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with National Museum Of Flight before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | XM597 |
|---|---|
| Type | Avro Vulcan B.2 |
| Built | Completed 26 August 1963 |
| Units / operator | RAF No. 12 Squadron (from 27 August 1963), later No. 50 Squadron |
| Combat | Black Buck 5 (31 May 1982) and Black Buck 6 (3 June 1982) |
| Interned | Rio de Janeiro, 3 to 11 June 1982 |
| Arrived | Flown in, 12 April 1984 |
| Museum ref | T.1984.47.1 |
| Status | On display |
| Where | National Museum Of Flight, North Berwick |
The story of XM597
XM597 was completed on 26 August 1963 and joined No. 12 Squadron the following day. It later served with No. 50 Squadron.
In 1982 it was one of the Vulcans adapted for Operation Black Buck. These were long-range raids from Ascension Island on Argentine positions in the Falklands. Victor tankers refuelled it repeatedly on each leg. On Black Buck 5, on 31 May 1982, it fired two Shrike anti-radar missiles. They narrowly missed an Argentine radar, causing only minor damage. That sortie set the record for the longest bombing raid.
Black Buck 6 followed on 3 June 1982. This time XM597 destroyed a radar, killing four men. On the way home its refuelling probe broke while taking fuel from a Victor. Without enough fuel for Ascension, Squadron Leader Neil McDougall turned for Rio de Janeiro. The crew fired off their two remaining Shrikes, but one hung up on its pylon. Secret papers went out through the crew hatch.
Brazil held the aircraft and crew until 11 June 1982. It was released on condition it took no further part in the war; the stuck Shrike stayed behind. XM597 and XM607 are the only Vulcans known to have used weapons in combat. A Brazilian flag and two mission markings on the nose record its war.
Its final flight was to East Fortune, where it was delivered on 12 April 1984. It has stood outside ever since, catalogued as T.1984.47.1.
Seeing XM597 today
Parked outdoors on the airfield near Hangar 1, with the Comet and BAC One-Eleven. Look for the Brazilian flag and two mission marks on the nose.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Museum Of FlightNorth Berwick, East Lothian | £15 | 47 | Concorde G-BOAA, which flew British Airways' first commercial supersonic service in 1976 and arrived here by barge and giant road-crawl… |
Also known as: Black Buck Vulcan · Black Buck 6 Vulcan · Rio Vulcan · Vulcan 597