The wing of the Valiant used a "compound sweep" configuration, devised by Vickers aerodynamicist Elfyn Richards. Richards found that it would be advantageous to increase the sweep on the inboard section of the wing, a discovery which he later patented; the Valiant's wing had 37° sweepback for the inner third of the wing, which reduced to 21° at the tips. This was because the thickness/chord ratio could be reduced closer to the tips. The choice to have mild sweepback around the aerodynamic control surfaces meant that in-service speeds were limited to Mach 0.84 and a typical cruise of Mach 0.75 at heights up to when lightly loaded. A drogue parachute was deemed unnecessary even operating from runways as short as .