A historic Cold War aircraft has been given a new look at the Yorkshire Air Museum, thanks to a long-established local painting company.
The Handley Page Victor XL231, a former nuclear bomber later converted into a mid-air refuelling tanker, has been repainted in its classic 1980s camouflage scheme for the first time in four decades.
The project was carried out by Bagnalls, a York-based business founded in 1875, and done in time to be unveiled during the museum’s Victor Day event this next week (28 August).
The aircraft has been a permanent fixture at the museum since 1993, arriving in its hemp-grey colours worn during the first Gulf War.
The new camouflage design reflects the appearance of Victors during the 1982 Falklands conflict, when they flew from Ascension Island in the mid-Atlantic.
Joanne Gualda, Marketing Director at Bagnalls, said:
“Bagnalls relishes challenges and opportunities to demonstrate our painting expertise, so we are extremely proud to have been chosen to repaint the Victor plane at the Yorkshire Air Museum.
“With a heritage that spans 150 years in the coatings industry, it is wonderful to be involved in a project that supports the restoration of our country’s aviation history.”
The repainting project began in early May, with scaffolding supplied by Kaefer. Hebden Bridge-based company Site Eye shot the process through time-lapse filming, taking photos every three minutes over six weeks.
The huge four-engine jet, 117 feet wide and 114 feet long, was fully surrounded in scaffolding, before being carefully repainted to match the precise camouflage pattern of an RAF Victor K2.
Jerry Ibbotson, Marketing and Communications Manager at the Yorkshire Air Museum, said:
“The repainting of Victor XL231 was a real team effort, involving staff, volunteers and outside contractors. The aircraft looks amazing, a few visitors have even asked if it’s a new acquisition, when in fact it’s been here for 32 years.”
The newly painted Victor will be officially unveiled at the museum’s Victor Day 2025 event on August 28.
The day will include a talk by Sqn Ldr Bob Tuxford AFC RAF (Retd), who piloted the Victor K2 during the Falklands Conflict, as part of Operation Black Buck.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy an engine run of XL231, archive film screenings, and a showing of the time-lapse video documenting the repaint.
Tickets for Victor Day are included in standard museum admission, click here for the website.