On this topic , with all due deferance to the Canberra, so good that the USAF bought it, my winner is the beautiful but menacing Avro Vulcan! Not least becauase of the memory of a Vulcan over Nevada at Red Flag in 1977 evading interception by a pair of F-15's and succesfully destroying its target and surviving the mission! To this day I don't know how.

Originally posted by waynos
On this topic , with all due deferance to the Canberra, so good that the USAF bought it, my winner is the beautiful but menacing Avro Vulcan! Not least becauase of the memory of a Vulcan over Nevada at Red Flag in 1977 evading interception by a pair of F-15's and succesfully destroying its target and surviving the mission! To this day I don't know how.

Much as I like the V-bombers (including the less well known black low-level Valient B2, ironically the only one they really needed) I'm not sure I'd count them as 1st gen. More like 2nd to me. (I do think the Vulcan - especially the proposed 'phase 6 big-wing' Skybolt versions - is some beasty as was the Victor.)

Of the 1st gen I'd say Canberra. Looks, load, lethal.

[edit on 9-6-2004 by sminkeypinkey]

For me, no contest. Boeing's B-52 Stratofortress. Incredibly durable airframe, a design masterpiece, excellent survivability.

It's still in operation.

(And yes, I'm biased. I was a B-52G Crew Chief while I was in the USAF )

Yes, B-52 obviously, but I'm biased as it wasn't 'ours'