Blackburn Buccaneer

Encyclopedia : B : BL : BLA : Blackburn Buccaneer

The Blackburn Buccaneer was a British attack aircraft serving with the Royal Air Force and the Fleet Air Arm. It was widely regarded as one of the finest low-level strike aircraft of its day. It saw war service during the 1991 Gulf War when examples were rushed to the area to provide a laser designation capability for British aircraft, and dropping small ammounts of laser guided bombs themselves. It left FAA service with the decommissioning of HMS Ark Royal in 1978, with the remaining examples being transferred to the RAF. The last squadrons were disbanded in 1993.

South Africa was the only country other than the United Kingdom to operate the Buccaneer, where it was in service with the South African Air Force from 1965 to 1991. A few Buccaneers remain in private hands in South Africa, and hired out for exhilarating pleasure flights around the coast.

Contents

1 Design
2 Variants

2.1 S.1
2.2 S.2
2.3 S.2A
2.4 S.2B
2.5 S.2C
2.6 S.2D
2.7 General changes to UK aircraft
2.8 S.50

3 Units who used the Buccaneer

3.1 Royal Air Force
3.2 Fleet Air Arm
3.3 South African Air Force

4 Specifications (Buccaneer S.2)
5 Trivia
6 External links
7 Related content

Design

The Buccaneer was built to fulfil the Naval Staff Requirement NA 39 issued in 1953 for a carrier-borne strike aircraft with a long range capable of carrying a nuclear weapon below enemy radar and attacking ships or ports. Blackburn's design, B.103, won the tender. Due to secrecy the aircraft was called BNA (Blackburn Naval Aircraft) or BANA (Blackburn Advanced Naval Aircraft) in documents leading to the obvious nickname of "Banana Jet".

The airbrake was formed from the tail boom which split open, optionally deploying a parachute.

The bomb bay was a novel idea at the time, instead of doors projecting out into the airflow or being retracted into the fuselage the whole unit rotated to expose the payload.

Variants

S.1

Original production model
Powered by two Gyron Junior turbojet engines

Buccaneer S.2 landing on HMS Eagle

S.2

From 1962
Conversion of the S.1
Powered by two more powerful Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines
various improvements

S.2A

Ex Royal Navy aircraft, reworked for RAF use

S.2B

New build for RAF service, 45 (1973 - 1977)
Full fit, so it can carry the Martel anti-radar or anti-shipping missile

S.2C

Rebuild of Royal Navy aircraft, to S.2A standard

S.2D

Rebuild of Royal Navy aircraft to S.2B standard (operational with Martels from 1975)

General changes to UK aircraft

Self defence
*ECM pods
*Chaff and flare dispensers
*AIM-9 Sidewinder missile capability
Paveway II guided bombs with Pave Spike pods
Sea Eagle missile capability (No. 208 Squadron RAF, from 1986)

S.50

A special South Africa-only version of the naval S.2, complete with folding wings, albeit no longer powered. An important change from the British version was the addition of two single-stage rockets (see RATO) to assist take-off from hot-and-high airfields like that of AFB Waterkloof in Pretoria, where the type was mostly based.

RAF Buccaneer in 1981

Units who used the Buccaneer

Royal Air Force

Fleet Air Arm

No.700Z NAS (Intensive Flying Trials Unit)
No.700B NAS
No. 736 NAS
No. 800 NAS
No. 801 NAS
No. 803 NAS
No. 809 NAS

South African Air Force

No. 24 Squadron SAAF

Specifications (Buccaneer S.2)

Trivia

The aircraft was featured in Area 88 as Roundell's personal jet.
The plane was used when Najica and Lila were pursuing the Oboro in Najica Blitz Tactics
The Buccaneer was featured in the Videogame Ace Combat 2.
It also featured in the film Lord of War.