| HP.80 Victor | |
|---|---|
 Handley Page HP-80 Victor K2 after landing, with drogue parachute deployed | |
| General information | |
| Type | Strategic bomber or aerial refueling tanker aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Handley Page Limited |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 86 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1952–1963 |
| Introduction date | April 1958 |
| First flight | 24 December 1952 |
| Last flight | 4 May 2009 |
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.
With the nuclear deterrent mission relinquished to the Royal Navy a large V-bomber fleet could not be justified. A number of Victors were modified for strategic reconnaissance, using a combination of radar, cameras, and other sensors. Prior to the introduction of Polaris, some had already been converted into tankers to replace Valiants; further conversions to tankers followed and some of these re-purposed Victors refuelled Vulcan bombers during the Black Buck raids of the Falklands War. The Victor was the last of the V-bombers to be retired from service on 15 October 1993. The Victor was replaced by Vickers VC10 and Lockheed Tristar tankers.