Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer
Bomber Plane

Although often called the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer the aircraft was originally designed and built by Blackburn before they became part of the Hawker Siddeley conglomerate. The Blackburn Buccaneer was built to meet the 1953 Naval Staff Requirement NA 39 for a carrier-borne strike aircraft with long range and capable of operating below enemy radar and attacking shipping and ports with conventional and nuclear ordnance.

Initially designated the BNA (Blackburn Naval Aircraft), or BANA (Blackburn Advanced Naval Aircraft) the aircraft soon obtained the nickname of "Banana Jet", in later years, after a Blackburn Buccaneer shaved the top off a sand dune while on a training exercise in the USA, it obtained a second nickname of the 'Blackburn Bulldozer'. The bomb bay was of unusual design using a revolving partial cylinder as part of the fuselage instead of conventional bomb doors. The first production model, the Buccaneer S1 entered service with the Fleet Air Arm in 1962 powered by two Gyron Junior turbojet engines, these were soon upgraded by fitting more powerful Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines and re-designated the Blackburn Buccaneer S.2.

The Buccaneer S2 variant was ordered in July 1968 for the RAF following the cancellation of orders for the American General Dynamics F-111 in favour of the Panavia Tornado which was still under development left the RAF with the need of an interim replacement for it's elderly Canberra bombers, as the Fleet Air Arm phased out it's large carrier force sixty-two of it's now unwanted Blackburn Buccaneer S.2's were modified and handed over to the RAF along with forty-six new aircraft.

Although the RN Fleet Air Arm aircraft were never used in hostilities the RAF utilised twelve Buccaneer S2 were used in operation Operation 'Granby' in the 1990-91 Gulf War as laser designators for the RAF's Panavia Tornado GR1 and Sepecat Jaguar fighter bombers. The only foreign Air Force to utilise the Blackburn Buccaneer was the South African Air Force who operated the type from 1965 until 1991.

Blackburn (Hawker Siddeley) Buccaneer S.2 Specifications:

• Crew: 2

• Length: 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m)

• Wingspan: 44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)

• Height: 16 ft 3 in (4.97 m)

• Wing area: 514.7 ft² (47.82 m²)

• Maximum weight: 62,000 lb (28,000 kg)

• Engines: Twin 11,100 lbf (49 kN) Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 101 turbofans

• Maximum speed: 645 mph (560 knots, 1,040 km/h) at 200 ft (60 m)

• Range: 2,300 miles (3,700 km)

• Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,200 m)

• Wing loading: 120.5 lb/ft² (587.6 kg/m²)

Armament:

• 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) of conventional and nuclear munitions carried in the bomb bay and on under-wing hard-points