Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Military transport

Power Plant:

Two 1,473 kw (1,975 hp) Bristol Hercules 230 fourteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

History:

Following the success of the Viking, RAF Transport Command ordered a new variant suitable for the role of military ambulance, freighter, glider-tug, troop carrier, and supplies drop.  This led to the Type 607 Valetta, which had a strengthened cabin floor and a large freight door.  In the troop carrier configuration it could carry 34 fully equipped soldiers; as an ambulance 20 stretchers and two medical orderlies; and in the paratroop role 20 paratroops and nine 159 kg (300 lb) equipment containers.

The prototype Model C.1 (VL249) was first flown at Brooklands in Surrey, UK on 30 June 1947, and the first production C.1 (VL262) flew on 28 January 1948.  The C Mk 2 was for VIP use for high-ranking personnel.  The last Valetta (WJ504) was delivered on 9 July 1951.

First operations were by No 204 Squadron RAF at Kabrit, Egypt in 1949.  Eventually the Valetta replaced the Douglas C-47 in RAF service. The type saw active service with the Far East Transport Wing when the RAF was involved in operations against terrorists in Malaya in April 1966, dropping more than 2,032 tonnes (2,000 tons) of supplies to British troops fighting in the jungle.  The type was also used for leaflet raids over terrorist positions.  It also saw service in the Middle East, a number of units serving in Aden in Yemen.  A small number later entered civil service in the United Kingdom. The last front-line unit with the RAF was No 52 Squadron (Far East Air Force) which disbanded at Butterworth, Malaysia, in April 1966.

The T.3 first flew on 31 August 1950, this being a flying classroom for use as a navigational trainer, 40 seeing service with Air Navigation Schools and the RAF College at Cranwell in Lincolnshire.  Eight were converted to T.4 configuration for radar training.  One was supplied to the Royal Swedish Air Force and four ex-RAF aircraft were sold to civil operators for commercial use as G-APKS, G-APII, G-APKR and G-APIJ, two going to Eagle Aviation Ltd at Ringway in Greater Manchester in 1957, the other two being obtained by Decca Navigator Co Ltd at Biggin Hill, Greater London, one of these being used for spares. More than 250 Valettas were built.

It is interesting to note that at some stage the ex-RAF Vickers Varsity WJ944, which was on display at the Wales Aircraft Museum at Cardiff, was painted in RNZAF colours with the serial NZ233 and ‘Royal New Zealand Air Force’ on the fuselage.  This aircraft is believed to have been broken up when the museum closed.

In early 1956 eight RAF Varsitys were flown through the Middle East to Australia where, based at Edinburgh, SA, they took part in Operation Buffalo, the dropping of an atomic weapon, the latter being carried out by a Vickers Valiant of No 49 Squadron RAF on 11 October 1956 over the Maralinga test site, SA.  When the tests were completed the Varsitys returned to the United Kingdom.  One of these aircraft was probably WJ493 as it was noted visiting Norfolk Island at about this time.  These aircraft later underwent further modifications by Marshalls of Cambridge and, in 1957, now attached to No 1439 Flight, RAF, flew to Australia and carried out similar tests near Christmas Island.  As the RAF Valettas spent some time in Australia, a RAAF serial prefix of A87- was allotted to the aircraft for stores purposes whilst based in South Australia but the serial was never painted on any aircraft.

Three examples are known to have survived, including VX573 at Cosford and VX850 with the Norfolk & Suffolk Museum.Another, VX577, was with the North Eastern Aircraft Museum for a period but was destroyed by vandals.