PA474 was built as a B Mk 1 (B1) by
Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd at its
Broughton factory near Chester in 1945 and was to be part of the British
Tiger Force for strategic bombing in the Far East. Following the end of the war with Japan the aircraft was not needed and PA474 entered storage. With
gun turrets removed it was assigned to Photographic Reconnaissance duties with
82 Squadron in East and
South Africa. On return from squadron service PA474 was loaned to
Flight Refuelling Limited to be used as a pilotless drone. It was later announced that with the ongoing maintenance, PA474 should still be airworthy until 2065. Minor and Major maintenance and overhauls are completed by Duxford based
Aircraft Restoration Company (ARCo), most recently in 2021 where PA474 was with the historic aircraft specialists for 10 months. ==See also==