The Avro Vulcan and the Vulcan Radar name
The Avro Vulcan is Britain’s delta-wing V-bomber. Vulcan Radar takes its name from that aircraft and from the radar trades that made it work. The desk unit is new hardware, not a replica of the bomber or of its military radar.
Avro Vulcan: Type 698, V-force and a famous shape
The Avro Vulcan (Type 698) entered RAF service in the 1950s beside the Victor and Valiant. The pure delta wing, four Olympus engines, and later the B.2’s larger compound-sweep planform made it one of the most recognisable silhouettes in British aviation. XH558, the last to fly, kept that shape in public memory long after the V-force stood down.
“Vulcan radar” can mean two different things: the bomber’s own sensors, or the desktop product sold here. This page is the product site’s account of the name. The Avro Vulcan is the namesake. Independent archives cover the Type 698 in more depth; this website is the official home of the product.
Radar on the Avro Vulcan
Avro Vulcan crews did not fly on the delta wing alone. The Navigation and Bombing System used H2S Mk 9 ground-mapping radar. Green Satin Doppler measured velocity and drift. Later B.2s carried terrain-following radar in the nose thimble for low-level work. Electronic countermeasures and, in some roles, maritime radar reconnaissance sat alongside that fit.
Crews in the rear cabin lived with those scopes for hours. The glow, the sweep, and the discipline of range selection are why “Vulcan” still sounds like radar to a lot of British aviation people — not only the airframe. Vulcan Radar does not reproduce H2S or Green Satin.
A cue, not a copy
We did not try to clone a 1960s military set. Naming the product Vulcan Radar is a tribute to the airframe and to the radar operators who sat behind it: a cue, not a costume.
What we borrowed is the atmosphere of those instruments. Traditional scopes used a rotating sweep, a limited colour language, and a physical way to choose range. The desk unit uses that grammar — a phosphor-green presentation, a rotary range control, and an illuminated power button — on a 5-inch display meant to sit beside a monitor.
Why the desk unit exists
Phone and browser maps made live traffic ordinary. They did not replace a persistent object in the room: a display you can leave running, and a range control you can turn without opening an app. Vulcan Radar was designed in the UK around that gap, for enthusiasts, student pilots, and spotters who already watch aircraft and want the sky in the corner of the room while they work.
The units are hand-made in Cornwall and sold from our business address in Poole. The instrument is for personal awareness and enjoyment only. It is not certified for navigation, air traffic control, or safety-of-life decisions.