In the nuclear role, the | Canberra served as the last line of defence or, indeed, m final retaliation; ready to launch at any time in the face of a Warsaw Pact first strike against the West. Like the UK-based V-Bombers and other nuclear-armed NATO forces around Europe, Royal Air Force Germany Canberras stood guard armed with some of the most devastating, American-built weaponry known to man clutched beneath. In the same way that UK air defence incorporates Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) platforms today, so RAF forces in Germany were organised on a similar basis throughout the Cold War. The crucial difference is that in contemporary times, QRA assets are tasked purely on a defensive footing, whereas the nature of Cold War QRA was significantly different. The offensive strike force offered by nuclear-armed Canberras was that difference.
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