The WE.177, originally styled as WE 177, and sometimes simply as WE177, was a series of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons with which the Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal Air Force (RAF) were equipped. It was the primary air-dropped nuclear weapon in the United Kingdom from the late 1960s into the 1990s.
WE.177 nuclear bomb (training example) at Explosion Museum of Naval Firepower
Rare WE.177A sectioned instructional example of an operational round, one of only two in existence, seen here at Boscombe Down Aviation Collection.
WE.177 safety and arming keys. The large white plastic part is the tool used to remove the protective cover from the lock.
Detail of the official WE.177 project tie. The WE.177 project was denied a project tie for many years, because the project code was, unusually, itself classified. The symbols represent atoms: hydrogen, above two atoms of nitrogen; atomic numbers 1, 7, and 7, respectively.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by merging the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Following the Allied victory over the Central Powers in 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time. Since its formation, the RAF has played a significant role in British military history. In particular, during the Second World War, the RAF established air superiority over Hermann Göring's Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, and led the Allied strategic bombing effort.
A Spitfire and Hurricane, which both played major roles in the Battle of Britain.
The Avro Lancaster heavy bomber was extensively used during the strategic bombing of Germany.
The RAF V bomber force was used to carry both conventional and nuclear bombs.
The Tornado played an integral part in RAF operations from 1991 until its retirement in 2019
