The British bomber inventory shows that the Vulcan had not yet disappeared. Several operational and training squadrons were based principally at RAF Scampton and RAF Waddington. The force was entering retirement, but it remained much larger in 1980 than it would be two years later. By the Falklands War only about a dozen operational aircraft and a single squadron remained for the Black Buck missions, making May 1980 a materially different starting point.
Notable Point · 2:30:42-2:32:45
The RAF still had a substantial Vulcan force in 1980
Vulcan retirement had begun by 1980, but multiple squadrons remained available before the force contracted to the small group used for Black Buck in 1982.