Anti-flash white
Anti-flash white is a white colour commonly seen on British, Soviet, and U.S. 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
[edit]Some variants of the Xian H-6 had the underside of the fuselage painted anti-flash white.[2]
Soviet Union/Russia
[edit]
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
[edit]
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
[edit]
| Anti-flash white | |
|---|---|
 Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #F2F3F4 |
| sRGBB (r, g, b) | (242, 243, 244) |
| HSV (h, s, v) | (210°, 1%, 96%) |
| CIELChuv (L, C, h) | (96, 1, 236°) |
| Source | ColorHexa[6] |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
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 Mercury remain painted in anti-flash white, as of October 2023.
Other aircraft
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2019) |
Concorde was painted white to reduce the effects of the sun's heat on its aluminum skin, which was already heated to more than 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:
- CF-105 Arrow prototypes
- V bombers
- Blackburn Buccaneer
- English Electric Canberra (experimental)[8]
- BAC TSR-2 prototype
- Saunders-Roe SR.53 interceptor prototype
- 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
[edit]- Royal Air Force roundels
- Lists of colors
- The House in the Middle – film that demonstrates the thermal flash protective effects of the related white wash paint
References
[edit]
- Gunston, Bill (March 1981). "The V-Bombers – The Handley Page Victor – part 3". Aeroplane Monthly.
- ^ "B36 in "anti-atom" finish over Kent". Flight: 741. 11 November 1955. Archived from the original (pdf) on 3 August 2016.
- ^ "[2.0] Reconnaissance & Special-Mission Tu-16s / Xian H-6". www.airvector (in English and Chinese). 11 October 2022.
- ^ "RDS 202: Tsar Bomb, The Biggest Bomb Ever". Youtube. 17 July 2009. Event occurs at 1:15 to 1:50. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
- ^ "'White swan' – Russian supersonic aircraft". Moscow Top News. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ "Titanine aircraft finishes are used on the Handley-Page Victor". Flight: 1. 1 January 1954.
- ^ "Munsell / #f2f3f4 hex color". ColorHexa. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ 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.