During the beginnings of the Cold War, a necessity for a fast, high altitude strategic bomber, intended to serve as a deterrent to any future military threat against the UK, with the required specifications representing a 100% increase in the capabilities of any previous British bomber aircraft. With no defences of its own, the Vulcan was typically armed with nuclear weapons, Blue Steel being a notable missile created in response to prediction that by 1960, Soviet Union air defences would be upgraded to out manuever the previous nuclear gravity bombs. When the Avro Vulcan was presented in 1952, the Royal Air Force introduced with not only the worlds first delta bomber, but also one of the worlds most effective strike bombers. Only a few short years later were significant updates made to create the B.2 by 1960. At the time, Britain possessed the fastest nuclear capable bomber in the world. An aircraft which possessed such potential for untold destruction as Britains most effective peace keeping asset, however, that is exactly what the Vulcan turned out to be. Throughout the aggressive posturing of the Cold War, the Warsaw Pact nations were in no doubt that if they dared to launch an attack against a NATO member country, the consequences of the inevitable retaliatory strike would be catastrophic. Without Doubt, during the early years of its service career, nothing represented this doomsday scenario more effectively than the mighty Avro Vulcan.