Adams, Robin Flying through a nuclear Cloud

Twenty Years on the Frontline During the Cold War

This is the unusual story of an aircraft navigator who flew Canberras, Shackletons and F-4 Phantoms in RAF squadrons between 1954 and 1974. It also reveals his involvement in nuclear weapons tests in 1956 and 1958. During his time with the Canberra, volunteers were sought in 1955 for an interesting overseas trip. Robin Adams signed up. The task was to collect samples from atomic explosions. However, the volunteers were only told this after they arrived in Australia. On 19 June 1956, Robin Adams, then navigator of Canberra WH976, took off from RAAF Perth. Together with his pilot, he was to take part in the second and final nuclear test as part of Operation Mosaic both explosions took place on the Montebello Islands. In 1957, Robin Adams joined Coastal Command and flew the Avro Shackleton. After this interlude, he returned to nuclear testing a year later. This time it was on Christmas Island in the Pacific, with the massive megaton H-bombs of Operation Grapple Z. His job was to collect weather data and guide shipping away from potential danger zones. From 1963 to 1966, Robin Adams served with the 31st Squadron, which was stationed in Germany and equipped with Canberra PR.7s, and was tasked with day and night low-altitude aerial reconnaissance. During this time, he was involved in a serious aircraft accident after landing with a single engine at night. By 1969, the Canberra's days on the front line were over, and he was transferred to the 14th Squadron as flight commander on the F-4 Phantom. The squadron's primary mission was to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in all weather conditions against targets in East Germany, with secondary missions including ground attacks and air defence. Crews were on alert twice a month, around the clock, in a hut, while the aircraft, with a nuclear weapon on board, was parked outside. Robin's nuclear journey had thus come full circle.