Anti-flash white
Anti-flash white is a white colour commonly seen on United Kingdom , Soviet, and United States nuclear bombers.[1] The purpose of the colour is to reflect some of the thermal radiation from a nuclear explosion, protecting the aircraft and its occupants.[citation needed]
China
Some variants of the Xian H-6 had the underside of the fuselage painted anti-flash white.[2]
Soviet Union/Russia
Some nuclear bombers had the underside of the fuselage painted anti-flash white with the upper surfaces painted light silver-gray. This was true for the specially fitted, single Soviet Tu-95V bomber that test-deployed the most powerful bomb of any kind – the 50+ MT-rating Tsar Bomba on 30 October 1961 – as it had the anti-flash white on all its undersurfaces and sides.[3]
The Tupolev Tu-160 of the 1980s was the first series-built Soviet/Russian bomber aircraft to be painted anti-flash white all over, leading to its Beliy Lebed ("White Swan") Russian nickname.[4]
United Kingdom
Anti-flash white was used on the Royal Air Force V bombers force and the Royal Navy Blackburn Buccaneer when used in the nuclear strike role. Nuclear bombers were given – though not at first, until the problem was considered – salmon pink and baby blue roundels and fin flash rather than the traditional dark red, white and blue.
Anti-flash white was applied to several prototype aircraft, including the British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2. Paint used on the Avro Vulcan was manufactured by Cellon, and that on the Handley Page Victor by Titanine Ltd.[5]
United States
| Anti-flash white | |
|---|---|
 Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F2F3F4 |
| Source | ColorHexa[6] |
Many Strategic Air Command nuclear bombers carried anti-flash white without insignia on the underside of the fuselage with light silver-gray or natural metal (later light camouflage) on the upper surfaces.[7]
United States Navy E-6 aircraft remain painted in anti-flash white, as of October 2023.
Other aircraft
In addition to these military aircraft, Concorde was painted white to reduce the additional heating effect on the aluminium skin caused by the sun whilst the aircraft was flying at high altitudes, the skin temperature already being raised to over 90 °C (194 °F) at Mach 2 by aerodynamic heating.
Aircraft with at least part of the fuselage painted anti-flash white on nuclear delivery variants:
Canada
- CF-105 Arrow prototypes
China
Soviet Union/
Russia
United Kingdom
- V bombers
- Blackburn Buccaneer
- English Electric Canberra (experimental)[8]
- BAC TSR-2 prototype
- Saunders-Roe SR.53 interceptor prototype
United States
- Convair B-36
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
- North American A-5 Vigilante
- North American XB-70 Valkyrie prototype
- Rockwell B-1 Lancer prototype
See also
- Royal Air Force roundels
- List of colors
- The House in the Middle – film that demonstrates the thermal flash protective effects of the related white wash paint
References
- Gunston, Bill (March 1981). "The V-Bombers – The Handley Page Victor – part 3". Aeroplane Monthly.
- ↑ "B36 in "anti-atom" finish over Kent" (pdf). Flight: 741. 11 November 1955. https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201624.html.
- ↑ "[2.0 Reconnaissance & Special-Mission Tu-16s / Xian H-6"] (in en, zh). 11 October 2022. https://www.airvectors.net/avtu16_2.html.
- ↑ "RDS 202: Tsar Bomb, The Biggest Bomb Ever". Youtube. 17 July 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEPzKckopmE. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ↑ "'White swan' – Russian supersonic aircraft". Moscow Top News. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090602035032/http://www.moscowtopnews.com/?area=postView&id=903. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ↑ "Titanine aircraft finishes are used on the Handley-Page Victor". Flight: 1. 1 January 1954. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%200003.html.
- ↑ "Munsell / #f2f3f4 hex color". https://www.colorhexa.com/f2f3f4.
- ↑ Lake International Air Power Review Spring 2003, p. 121.
- ↑ Philip J. R. Moyes (1964). Bomber Squadrons of the R.A.F. And Their Aircraft. MacDonald. p. 98.
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