Survivors
Today there are a number of surviving Vulcans remaining in museums and on various airfields. 19 are complete aircraft, all B2s (including the B2 subvariants). 11 cockpit sections also remain, two B1s, a B1 trainer that never flew, and 8 B2s of various types. This brings us to a total of 30 surviving Vulcans that are either complete or significant parts survive of.
In addition to these, numerous smaller parts of many Vulcans survive, such as a near complete fin (I don'y know which airframe this is from) or the canopy of XM645 (which crashed in Malta), but are not enough for me to consider them a 'survivor'.
THIS PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, THE LIST IS NOT YET COMPLETE
XH558 (G-VLCN)
Preserved at Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster, taxiable condition
XH558 was the first and last Vulcan B2 in RAF service, entering service on 1 July 1960 with 230 OCU, and leaving the RAF in 1993 after a number of years with the Vulcan Display Flight. During her service, she was one of the most varied Vulcans, at various points being the b2 variant, the B2.MRR variant, the K2 variant and finally back to a B2 configuration (with some legacy features from the K2) with the VDF.
The aircraft retired to Bruntingthorpe and was acquired by the Walton family. She performed taxi runs until 2009, when she was sold to Vulcan To the Sky with the intention of making her airworthy, which is exactly what happened in 2007 when we had a Vulcan flying for the first time in 14 years.
XH558 would display at many airshows starting in 2008, until her final retirement in October 2015 due to a number of factors. Today she is at Robin Hood Airport and there are plans to build a hanger to house the Vulcan in the long term, but we are yet to see this happen.
XJ823
Solway Aviation Museum
XJ823 is the final B.2MRR variant preserved today, the aircraft is on outdoor display at the Solway Aviation Museum, Cumbria, and is looking rather good as far as outdoor Vulcans go. There is some corrosion around more vulnerable areas such as the jetpipes, but after a 2006 repaint she is looking very good. The colours of that repaint were a shade too dark, but have since faded to a more correct colour.
The cockpit is sometimes accessible to visitors, so well worth a visit to see the final B2.MRR and possibly see the inside of the aircraft.
XJ823 - insta: @Highland_Scale_Models
XJ824
Imperial War Museum, Duxford
XJ824 is preserved at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. Currently she is on display in hanger 1 ('Airspace'), with a good view of her from the raised walkway behind, and from the Concorde. This aircraft spent a few years outside before being moved into the hanger, and some of the paintwork is a little worn, but overall she is looking pretty good. Hopefully when the museum's restoration people are finished with their Mk1 Victor tanker, they might repaint this one...
XJ824 - Adam Poultney
XL318
RAF Museum, Hendon
The first of the RAF Museum's complete Vulcans is XL318 at the Hendon site in London. This Vulcan is preserved in warp around camouflage, and is indoors. Unfortunately she is cramped in with the nose in a corner in a dimly lit room, so photographing this one is pretty difficult.
XL318 is the only Vulcan to have been successfully moved by road to a museum, which unfortunately meant she had to be cut up for this. She is safely in one piece again, but a little dusty and in need of a good clean
XL318 - Wikimedia Commons
XL319
North East Land, Sea and Air Museums, Sunderland
XL319 is on outdoors display at the N.E.L.S.A.M. in Sunderland. It's not just corrosion form rain and salty air in a coastal area that has affected XL319, in 2010 she tipped backwards in heavy snow, damaging the tail area significantly. Thankfully, the museum was able to get the aircraft back to its regular position, but the damage is still visible.
Until recently, she was looking pretty bad externally, but thanks to an ongoing restoration effort, the aircraft is now looking much better. The scheme she is being restored in is camouflage over gloss white, with Type D roundels, the only Vulcan to be restored in such a scheme. In 2019, one engine was ran for the first time in 36 years, while this won't likely happen again, XL319's future is looking bright.
There is currently a fundraiser for carrying out much needed repairs here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/vulcan-xl319
XL319 - Adam Poultney
XL360
Midland Air Museum, Coventry
XL360 is on outdoors display at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry. Parts have been added to help avoid water damage and to deter birds, although birds aren't much of a problem as the cockpit is open on most days so is not particularly quiet.
This Vulcan is one of a few to have been given a name, City of Coventry, albeit only after retirement from the RAF to the museum. The name is painted onto the fuselage along with additional markings added by the museum.
Although the aircraft was repainted in 2003/2004, 16-17 years later in 2020 she is once again looking in need of a good repaint. The green has faded to a brown colour at the front end, similar to that which Duxford's Victor's paint faded to before restoration, but is looking better towards the rear.
XL360 - Adam Poultney
XL360 - Adam Poultney
XL361
Goose Bay, Canada
XL361 is the only Vulcan preserved in Canada, she is located at Goose Bay, a common place to see Vulcans during their service. Following a significant in flight issue leading to the grounding of the jet, it was decided it would be too expensive to be worth repairing, so left the Vulcan there as a gate guardian to the RAF support base at Goose Bay instead of simply scrapping the airframe. Eventually the airframe was gifted to the local community.
XL361 - Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons
XL426 (G-VJET)
Vulcan Restoration Trust, Southend Airport, Essex
XL426 was the original VDF aircraft, later replaced by XH558 when she ran out of remaining flying hours. Originally the aircraft was bought by the same owner as XM655, but was eventually sold on to the Vulcan Restoration Trust. They initially planned to make XL426 airworthy again, but this never came to fruition, so they went with the secondary goal of preserving the aircraft in a taxiable condition.
XL426 performed taxi runs from 1995 to 2005, when the aircraft began major servicing, under the name the 'Return to Power' programme. Taxi runs were completed during this time. but it would not be until November 2019 when XL426 would be publicly taxied again.
Sadly the goal of airworthiness is a long lost dream now, but the Vulcan Restoration Trust aims to keep XL426 taxable until at least 2034.
XL426- insta: @Airbrushed_military_modeller
XM573
Strategic Air and Space Museum, Nebraska, USA
XM573 was delivered to the Strategic Air Command Museum at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, USA, in 1982. Until the museum raised funds to house most of its collection indoors around the late 1990s, XM573 was outside and suffered the harsh conditions of Nebraska. The aircraft was safely indoors until 2015 when she was moved outside due to a lack of space. Hopefully the Vulcan will one day get some attention from the museum's restoration facilities as the paintwork is wearing thin.
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XM573 - Wikimedia Commons
XM575 (G-BLMC)
East Midlands Aeropark, Leicestershire
XM575 was retired to the East Midlands Airport in 1983, and received a civilian registration, G-BLMC. In 1983, there were preparations to make the Vulcan airworthy for a ferry flight to Bruntingthorpe to become part of a planned museum on the site, XM575 stayed at East Midlands as funds for the project ran out. Later XH558 would go to Bruntingthore and eventually would be restored there.
Today the museum at East Midlands is located on the opposite side of the airfield to when the Vulcan was delivered, until the move XM575 regularly ran three of the four engines, but the Olumpus 301s are now considered to be a noise nuisance at an airport, so are no longer allowed to be run.
XM575 in wrap around camouflage at East Midlands Aeropark, June 2021
XM594
Newark Air Museum
XM594 was retired in 1983, being delivered from the nearby RAF Waddington to Newark on 7th February that year. Until a few years ago some systems were electrically live on the aircraft and were powered up often, but this is no longer the case.
Although I personally have not been in the cockpit of 594, it is apparently in very good condition and fairly complete.
Externally the aircraft appears to be in good shape, only a few areas look slightly damaged by her time outside, just a fresh coat of paint will need applying soon to some parts of the aircraft. According to museum volunteers, this was scheduled to happen in 2020, but has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and paint work will be carried out in 2021. Given the great work on other smaller exhibits at the museum recently, I'm sure '594 will be well looked after for a long time yet.
This is a good Vulcan to photograph as it is well positioned and has a number of angles where it is not obscured by buildings or other aircraft, and the museum seems more than happy to let you walk all around the Vulcan taking photos from all sorts of odd angles.
XM594 - Adam Poultney
XM594 - Adam Poultney
XM597
National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, Scotland
Possibly the second most significant Vulcan Survivor is XM597, after XM607. '597 is a Black Buck veteran and one of only two Vulcans to use live weapons in anger, being used as the primary aircraft on the cancelled Black Buck 4, and performing Black Buck 5 and 6. Black Buck 6 ended in the famous incident where the IFR probe broke and the aircraft had to divert to Brasil, with a Shrike still attached they couldn't get rid of.
Today '597 is the only complete Vulcan preserved in Scotland, and is unfortunately outside, a shame considering how significant this airframe is. Hopefully this Vulcan will be well looked after for many years yet.
XM597 preserved at the NAtional Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, Scotland - wikimedia commons
XM598
Royal Air Force Museum, Cosford
This Vulcan is another Black Buck veteran. It was the primary aircraft for Black Buck 1 which suffered a pressure failure and had to turn back, causing XM607 to continue as the primary aircraft, and the rest is history.
XM598 arrived at Cosford in 1983, likely playing a significant role in the decision not to continue with restoration efforts on XA900, the last Vulcan B1, which was already in poor shape. Three years later, the B1 was cut up for scrap. After a number of years on outdoors display, XM598 was eventually repainted and moved into the large Cold War hangar. In common with most aircraft in there, a good photo is very hard to get and it can only be viewed from a limited number of angles. The nose is suspended from the ceiling, although the main gears are firmly on the ground, as a result access to the cockpit is impossible. In the bomb bay, there is a TV mounted which displays footage of the Falklands war. A bit of a pain if you want to photograph the poorly lit bomb bay, but it served a good purpose. There are other Vulcan bomb bays to photograph. Some covers for wiring leading to the surrounding displays have been added under the wings, these are subtle and painted the same colour as the aircraft so don't mistake them for an original part of the Vulcan.
The RAF Museum also has Victor K2 XH672 and Valiant Bk1 XD818 displayed alongside the Vulcan, although access to photograph the Victor is even worse and there are only two good angles of the Valiant easily accessible. Thankfully, the collection being inside means it has a safe future, just we will for now have to visit other examples if we want good photographs or a look inside the cockpits (although for the Valiant, it's the only complete one around).
XM598, June 2021 - Adam Poultney
XM603, XM605, XM606, XM607, XM612 and XM655 still to be added