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THE BUCCANEERING

MELLOR BROTHERS 

 
 

   
 
Great pleasure was given to the patrons of the Cheltenham GWR Modeller's Exhibition by the appearance on the Mellor Brother's Layby Diorama of this Volvo FH16 6x2 - converted and super detailed from the Lledo model -  in the orange, white and green markings of machinery transport experts Charles Russell.
 
 

   
  Great pleasure was given to the patrons of the October 2009 Cheltenham GWR Modeller's Exhibition by the appearance on the Mellor Brother's Layby Diorama of this Volvo FH16 6x2 - converted and super detailed from the Lledo model -  in the orange, white and green markings of 1968 founded machinery transport experts Charles Russell.  

Even more delightful was the extendable boom low loader trailer - converted from the Langley kit with brass scratch building - carrying a Blackburn Buccaneer, just as Charles Russell - motto "Quality in Motion" -  transported the real Jet Age Museum twin jet naval bomber away from Staverton in 2000.  In fact moving one of four Jet Age aircraft was the last job that Volvo tractor R9 CRT did for Charles Russell before it was sold for further service.


Purists may note that the Buccaneer depicted in the model is one of 15 S Mark 50s delivered to the South African Air Force rather than XX889, the former Royal Air Force S Mark 2B ( Martel capable ) formerly on display at the Jet Age Museum until 2000 and now at Kemble.

This is because 1/72 scale Blackburn Buccaneer kits were, until 2010, difficult to obtain and this was the last example suitable for trailer mounting left in the Jet Age Reserve Model Collection.
 


However, 2010 has now seen the load on the Charles Russell trailer repainted overall in a shade ( Humbrol Matt 125 ) slightly darker than Barley Grey to make a more accurate representation of the essentially similar XX889 on leaving Staverton.  In these colours it will tour with the Mellor Brothers around Britain this Summer until it reappears at St Margaret's Hall in Cheltenham in October as part of a diorma entitled The Bucc Stops Here.


However, 2010 has now seen the load on the Charles Russell trailer repainted overall in a shade ( Humbrol Matt 125 ) slightly darker than Barley Grey to make a more accurate representation of the essentially similar XX889 on leaving Staverton.  In these colours it will tour with the Mellor Brothers around Britain this Summer until it reappears at St Margaret's Hall in Cheltenham in October as part of a diorma entitled The Bucc Stops Here.

In the meantime however, this article explores both the mechanics of moving such an unusual item and the background to the Blackburn Buccaneer itself.
 

   
  Any load too large or too heavy to be carried on conventional road-going trucks and trailers requires permission from the Highways Agency to use the UK’s roads. The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003 - commonly known as STGO – authorises special types of vehicle to use UK roads, even though they do not fully comply with section 41 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act. Special Types vehicles must comply with STGO restrictions and definitions, which include notification of vehicle movements.
 
 

   
  Among the items super detailed by the Mellor Brothers was the STGO CAT2 plate just to the right of the registration.

Any load too large or too heavy to be carried on conventional road-going trucks and trailers requires permission from the Highways Agency to use the UK’s roads. The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003 - commonly known as STGO covers such special vehicles on UK roads, even though they do not fully comply with section 41 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act. Special Types vehicles must comply with STGO restrictions and definitions, which include notification of vehicle movements.

An abnormal indivisible load (AIL) must not be capable of being divided into smaller parts which could then be carried on vehicles that comply with the Construction and Use Regulations (C&U regs). Loads that exceed maximum permitted axle and vehicle weights, and length, height or width dimensions under Part 2 and Part 4 of the C&U regs all fall under STGO rules.

STGO 2003 defines an abnormal indivisible loads vehicle (AILV) as: an N3 motor vehicle specifically designed and built for the carriage of abnormal indivisible loads; an O4 category trailer designed to carry indivisible loads; or an N3 motor vehicle designed to tow O4 trailers.

There are three weight categories for STGO operations: 

Category 1: Maximum weight 50,000kg. Maximum axle weight 11,500kg.

Category 2: Maximum weight 80,000kg. Maximum axle weight 12,500kg.

Category 3: Maximum weight 150,000kg. Maximum axle weight 16,500kg.

 
 
 

   
  Lacking the finances to respond with matching cruisers for the Royal Navy, the British government decided to obtain a carrier based low-level high speed attack aircraft designed to penetrate the defences of a Soviet naval battle group and destroy them with a "tossed" nuclear weapon.
 
 

   
  During the early 1950s, the Soviet Navy underwent a major fleet expansion to challenge US and NATO naval supremacy, posing a serious threat in the form of Sverdlovsk-class cruisers.
Lacking the finances to respond with matching cruisers for the Royal Navy, the British government decided to obtain a carrier based low-level high speed attack aircraft designed to penetrate the defences of a Soviet naval battle group and destroy them with a nuclear weapon.  

The warhead was originally due to be carried in a gliding bomb codenamed "Green Cheese" but this was cancelled and substituted with the 2 000 lb weight 15 kiloton yield "Red Beard" bomb designed for use on the English Electric Canberra.  The unguided Red Beard - which had to be armed before takeoff - would have to be delivered by the new aircraft "tossing" it off the upward sweep of a loop before the bomber made a fast low altitude escape.

Naval Staff Requirement Number 39 (NA 39) issued in June 1952 further specified a two seat aircraft which could carry a  4 000 lb nuclear weapon internally  and fly at Mach 0.85 at an altitude of 200 feet above sea level over a 460 mile combat radius.  This would be the first aircraft in the World designed to attack beneath the cover of radar and guided missiles.

The aircraft was also to be no more than 51 feet long in stowed configuration to allow movement on existing RN aircraft carrier elevators, have a maximum weight of 45 000 lb and the capability to act as a flight refuelling tanker.

 
 

   
  Despite being best known for its pre World War II biplanes, Roc and Skua naval propeller fighters and Beverley STOL transport, Blackburn Aircraft of East Yorkshire responded to NA39 with an advanced twin gas turbine design designated B.103.
 
 

   
  Despite being best known for its pre World War II biplanes, Roc and Skua naval propeller fighters and Beverley STOL transport, Blackburn Aircraft of East Yorkshire responded to NA39 with an advanced twin gas turbine design designated B.103.

Rejecting the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire Sa7 engine - a variant of that used in the contemporary Gloster Javelin - Blackburn proposed using the new Bristol Siddeley Gyron Junior producing 8 000 lb of dry thrust.  This would be allied with an airframe - made using many components milled from single billets of steel and aluminium using Blackburn's own design of machine tools -  featuring small high-loaded wings for smooth flight in thick turbulent air.  However, carrier aircraft generally need large wings and low wing loading for slow landing speeds and short takeoff.

Blackburn's solution to this problem was to build its small-winged jet bomber with a flap blowing or boundary layer control (BLC) system.  This used a network of ducts that bled 10% of the engine compressor flow and routed it to the leading engines of the wings and over the flaps and ailerons.  It also directed engine bleed air to the underside of the T-tail and almost doubled the available lift at low airspeed as well as providing an effective de-icing system.

Although the B.103 was designed to be fitted with twin underwing stores pylons, its bomb bay marked an advance on wartime aircraft such as the Lancaster and even the then-new English Electric Canberra.  It was designed to rotate with either four 1 000 lb conventional bombs or a single nuclear weapon attached directly to the inside surface of the door.  As well as facilitating weapons release at high speed and low level, the rotating bomb bay was easier to load munitions and service, kept the Red Beard at a suitable temperature and could also in principle take a reconnaissance camera pack, 2 000 litre ferry fuel tank, cargo container or 20 millimetre Aden gun pack.
 
 

   
In the end the Blackburn B.103 was never to be gun armed but its overall design did incorporate the new "area rule" aerodynamics, where abrupt changes in the cross-sectional area of the aircraft, including the wing, were to be avoided. This allowed the fuselage to expand aft of the wing and resulted in a "coke bottle" appearance. Blackburn engineers also used area-ruling to increase the storage capacity of the strong fuselage, giving the aircraft a distinctive set of full-bodied curves.
 
 

   
In the end the Blackburn B.103 was never to be gun armed but its overall design did incorporate the new "area rule" aerodynamics, where abrupt changes in the cross-sectional area of the aircraft, including the wing, were to be avoided. This allowed the fuselage to expand aft of the wing and resulted in a "coke bottle" appearance. Blackburn engineers also used area-ruling to increase the storage capacity of the strong fuselage, giving the aircraft a distinctive set of full-bodied curves. 

The aircraft met the carrier-deck elevator dimension limits through a number of features. Its wings folded from about half-span straight up through 120 degrees, and its nose cone could be pivoted back to allow access to its radar and reduce length. The tail cone was split and could be hydraulically opened to act as a very distinctive variable air brake and also reduce length.

With the design frozen by the summer of 1954 the Admiralty selected the B.103 and placed an unusually large order for 20 development aircraft.  In a hurry to introduce its new atomic bomber, the Royal Navy wanted to ensure that the loss of a prototype would not delay the program and also wanted to pursue the development of various subsystems in parallel.

The first B.103 flew on 30 April 1958 and carrier trials began in 1960 before the name "Buccaneer" was officially bestowed on 20 August 1960.  The initial version was designated S ( for Strike ) Mark 1 and the first production examples reached the Royal Navy in August 1961, with 801 Squadron becoming operational with the Buccaneer in July 1962.  Buccaneers first went to sea in 1963 aboard HMS Ark Royal and were also operated from a number of shore based Naval Air Stations including Lossiemouth in north east Scotland.


  Navy pilots liked the Buccaneer as the BLC system gave them slower landing speeds than they were accustomed to.  On carrier catapult take-off meanwhile, the Buccaneer was guyed down to leave its nosewheel hanging in the air in order to give the aircraft a better angle of attack.  
 

   
The Buccaneer S.1 - which equipped two Fleet Air Arm squadrons and a training unit  -  was distinguished by its distinctive small circular air intakes. Initial prototypes had a retractable refueling probe, but this proved to be an aerodynamic nuisance, and a bolt-on removable offset probe was quickly designed in its place.

Navy pilots liked the Buccaneer as the BLC system gave them slower landing speeds than they were accustomed to.  On carrier catapult take-off meanwhile, the Buccaneer was guyed down to leave its nosewheel hanging in the air in order to give the aircraft a better angle of attack.

The Buccaneer S1 could carry a conventional payload of up to eight 1 000 lb bombs - four in the rotary bomb bay and one under each wing pylon. The underwing pylons could also carry 2" unguided rockets in 36 round packs although this munition was superceded by 2.7" Matra SNEB rockets in 18 round packs.  In 1965 Buccaneers also evaluated the American built AGM-12 Bullpup radio-guided air to surface missile although this was found to be unreliable and inaccurate.

Alternatively the Buccaneer could carry a 636 litre Flight Refueling Ltd M20 probe and drogue pack under the right wing augmented by a slipper tank under the left wing.  For photo reconnaissance the bomb bay could accept a "crate" containing up to six long range, wide angle or night vision cameras - looking either down or forward - and a photoflash dispenser. More usually for night operations however, eight Gloworm rockets mounted on the underwing pylons were used.

The hinged nose of the Buccaneer S1 contained a Ferranti Blue Parrot radar system which although not capable of terrain following was useful for target acquisition and navigation.
However, the Bristol Siddeley Gyron Junior engines of the Buccaneer S1 lacked power, especially with ten per cent of the airflow siphoned off for the BLC system.  This in turn meant that the S1 could not take off with a full fuel load but had to be topped up in flight by a Supermarine Scimitar bomber configured as a tanker.

Only 40 Buccaneer S1s were built and by the end of the 1960s had been relegated to training status.  After two crashes in December 1970 all surviving Gyron Junior powered examples were grounded.

Despite this, the 1/72 scale kit of what purported to be the S1 - still referred to as the "Blackburn NA 39 Buccaneer" and featuring a working rotating bomb bay - appeared in the Airfix catalogue as late as 1973 with the catapult launch painting reproduced below.

 In fact 1960 vintage Airfix kit
03004-1 was based on some of the NA39 prototypes from the series XK486 to XK491 which lacked both the Radar Warning Receiver bullet fairing on the tail and the correct larger nose of the Buccaneers from XK487 to XZ432

Airfix were to model the Buccaneer S2 - unfortunately still with the wrong nose - in a kit introduced in 1989 while other representations of the type came from Matchbox in 1973 and Frog in 1975, just before the firm ceased trading and the moulds went to the USSR as Novo.


  In January 1962 the Admiralty ordered a new version of the Buccaneer with the new Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan. The non-afterburning Spey variant selected provided 11,380 pounds of thrust - much more than the Gyron Junior - and had lower fuel consumption.
 
 

   
  Even before the S.1 reached operational status, the Royal Navy was investigating a Buccaneer with better engines, to be designated S.2.

In January 1962 the Admiralty ordered a new version of the Buccaneer with the new Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan. The non-afterburning Spey variant selected provided 11,380 pounds of thrust - much more than the Gyron Junior - and had lower fuel consumption.

Only a few modifications were required, the most visible of them being the distinctive large elliptical air intakes. The exhaust jetpipes were changed to point outward and downward, and angled wingtips were added to improve cruising range. The BLC system was enhanced to take advantage of the greater airflow, reducing further the Buccaneer's takeoff and landing speeds, and a new electrical system was fitted. To deal with problems of aircraft escape, a miniature detonating cord (MDC) system was added to shatter the top of the canopy in an emergency.

Two of the initial developmental aircraft were converted to Spey power, with the first flying on 17 May 1963. The flight test program went more smoothly than that of the S.1 - with no accidental losses - and three of the test Buccaneers flew to the US in the summer of 1965 to perform hot weather and carrier trials on the USS Lexington. One of these aircraft flew back across the Atlantic unrefuelled, a dramatic demonstration of the Buccaneer's excellent range.

The Buccaneer S2 entered Fleet Air Arm operational service with 801 Squadron in October 1965, by which time it was becoming apparent that the days of the Royal Navy's large aircraft carriers were numbered.  As such proposals put forward by Hawker Siddeley - which had acquired Blackburn Aircraft in 1963 - for an improved supersonic Buccaneer were rejected by the Admiralty. Similarly, an enhanced Buccaneer - designated P.145 - was passed over as a replacement for the cancelled BAC TSR2 in favour of the General Dynamics F-111K

In late March 1967, Royal Navy Buccaneers dropped unguided 1 000 lb bombs for the only time in anger when sinking the abandoned oil tanker Torrey Canyon, grounded off Lands End in Cornwall.  However, despite assistance from Hawker Hunters and De Havilland Sea Vixens dropping incendiaries, the Torrey Canyon's cargo of crude oil did not catch fire and polluted many Cornish beaches.

Six months earlier however the Royal Navy had begun work to update its Buccaneer S2s to carry the Martel precision guided air-to-surface missile.  This rocket powered stand-off weapon was available in anti-Radar (AS 37) and television guided (AJ 168) versions and was considered a significant enhancement to the Buccaneer S2's capability despite the Spey engined aircraft's uncertain future with the Royal Navy.

New pylons were fitted under the wings of Martel designated Buccaneer S2s, each pylon being capable of carrying one Martel or three 1 000 lb bombs in a triple ejector rack. Strengthening and structural modifications to the S2 were also carried out and the rear cockpit fitted with the television monitor and joystick needed to control the AJ 168.  As one stores pylon was needed to house the spindle shaped TV datalink pod, only a maximum of three AJ 168s could be carried by the Buccaneer S2 as opposed to four self-contained AS 37s.

The first Martel capable Buccaneer S2s entered Royal Navy service in October 1972, just over six years before the last Buccaneers left Fleet Air Arm service in December 1978.
 
 

   
  Despite this, the 1/72 scale kit of the S1 - still referred to as the "Blackburn NA 39 Buccaneer" and featuring a working rotating bomb bay - appeared in the Airfix catalogue as late as 1973 with the catapult launch painting reproduced below.
 
 

   
  Early in the Buccaneer program, the US Navy had expressed mild interest in the aircraft, but quickly moved on to the development of their comparable Grumman A-6 Intruder. The West Germans showed a greater interest, and considered replacing their old Hawker Sea Hawks with the type, though they would eventually decide on the Lockheed F-104G for their maritime strike requirement. Thus the only export customer for the Buccaneer was the Republic of South Africa. 

Even before the S.2 entered Royal Navy squadron service, South Africa purchased 16 Spey-powered Buccaneers in January 1963. The aircraft order was part of the Simonstown Agreement, in which the UK obtained use of the Simonstown naval base in South Africa in exchange for maritime weapons, including the Avro Shackleton. The South African Air Force wanted to use the Buccaneer for possible anti shipping strike.

The South African Buccaneers were designated S.50 and were similar to the S2 with various modifications. Some of the equipment for carrier-deck operations was deleted, such as the hydraulic gear needed to automatically fold the wings, though the wings could still be folded manually. The S.50 also had larger underwing tanks with a capacity of 1,955 litres featured two small and distinctive strakes under the rear fuselage, and was fitted with two Bristol Siddeley BS-605 retractable rockets - intended to provide takeoff boost when operated from airfields in hot weather at high altitude.  These rockets were powered by the Buccaneer's jet fuel and flasks of high-test peroxide and produced 4 000 lb thrust for 30 seconds. However, despite the expense of adding them, the BS-605s were rarely used for anything except air shows.

The first Buccaneer S50 flew in early 1965 and the 16 aircraft  were delivered in two sets of eight.  The first set was flown south, but as one aircraft was lost en route the second set were sent by sea - cocooned in plastic - as deck cargo.  Sadly for the British aircraft industry, South African plans to replace the lost S50 and to buy another 14 examples were blocked by the same Labour government which had cancelled the TSR2 as a result of activism against South Africa's Apartheid policies.

The remaining 17 SAAF Buccaneers were armed with the sometimes-unreliable French radio guided AS 30 air to surface missile and also used more conventional rockets and bombs against SWAPO guerilla camps in Angola and Namibia in the 1970s and 1980s.  The last five flyable S50s were retired in 1991.
 
 

   
  The hopes of the Royal Air Force for the General Dynamics F-111K to fill their low-level strike requirement were dashed when the British government cancelled the order in early 1968. The RAF was forced to cast about for a replacement that was available and affordable, and reluctantly settled on the Buccaneer.
 
 

   
  The hopes of the Royal Air Force for the General Dynamics F-111K to fill their low-level strike requirement were dashed when the British government cancelled the order in early 1968. The RAF was forced to cast about for a replacement that was available and affordable, and reluctantly settled on the Buccaneer.

In July 1968 the RAF ordered 26 brand new Buccaneer S.2s capable of carring the Martel missile but partly denavalized. Although they had arrestor hooks and folding wings, they did not have catapult attachments.

1969 saw both the delivery of the first pure-RAF Buccaneer S2 and the establishment of number 12 as the first RAF Buccaneer squadron, based in the UK and optimised for maritime strike. Later RAF Buccaneer squadrons were intended for low-level tactical strike and operated mostly in Germany. Tactical strike aircraft were not fitted with refuelling probes - as seen in the Jet Age Reserve Collection model above -  as mid-air refueling was not deemed necessary in the German operating environment.

The RAF later received 64 Buccaneers from the FAA as the Royal Navy's carrier force was largely scrapped. The RAF eventually obtain 19 more new-build Buccaneers, with the last Buccaneer built delivered in October 1977. British Buccaneer strength was at its highest point in 1978, when five RAF and FAA operational squadrons flew the type.

In 1972 the RAF Buccaneer S2 fleet was assigned a somewhat confusing series of subvariant designations.  S2A were FAA Buccaneers pased on to the RAF that lacked Martel capability; S2B, new build aircraft aircraft for the RAF, all with Martle capability.  Some S2As  wer upgraded to this configuration.  S2C were FAA aircraft without Martel capability and S2D were FAA with Martel capability.

 
 

   
  Although the RAF had not really wanted the Buccaneer, the service soon discovered that it was an excellent and effective aircraft.  Major updates of the Buccaneer were considered during its history but nothing beyond the S2 ever took to the skies.  However, some changes were made to keep the Blackburn design up to date.
 
 

 
 
  Although the RAF had not really wanted the Buccaneer, the service soon discovered that it was an excellent and effective aircraft.  Major updates of the Buccaneer were considered during its history but nothing beyond the S2 ever took to the skies.  However, some changes were made to keep the Blackburn design up to date.

One significant modification was an auxiliary tank with a capacity of 1 932 litres built into a visibly bulged bomb-bay door. This modification was required because aerodynamic difficulties kept the RAF S.2s from using the big South African slipper tanks. A Buccaneer fitted with the new bomb-bay door fuel tank first flew in 1970. The tank was retrofitted to most operational S.2s.

Similarly, the Red Beard nuclear weapon was phased out by 1970 and replaced by the WE-177A, a parachute-retarded 270 kiloton yield - 600 pound weight -  bomb. Buccaneers were eventually cleared to carry two WE-177As. The SNEB rocket pack too was replaced by the Hunting BL-755 cluster bomb unit, with the last SNEB mission flown in 1973.

On occasion, Buccaneers would also carry a single AIM-9B Sidewinder missile, but as early Sidewinders were not very effective weapons pilots had another self-defense option. They could drop a1,000 pound parachute-retarded bomb while operating at low level over water to discourage a fighter pressing them from the rear. This practice was known as "retard defense", or more informally as "dropping your knickers".

The final batch of new production Buccaneers for the RAF featured a radar warning receiver (RWR) in the tailplane bullet fairing, and this enhancement was retrofitted to earlier aircraft. The American Westinghouse AN/ALQ-101(V)-10 active electronic countermeasures pod was supplied to Buccaneer units from 1976 as a self-defence measure. Minor modifications were made to the Blue Parrot radar system as well. 

In 1979, the RAF obtained the American AN/AVQ-23E Pave Spike laser target designator pod for free fall Laser Guided Bombs (LGB). The Pave Spike carried a television camera boresighted with a laser beam, with the optics protected by a retractable nose shield. The Pave Spike was carried by Martel-capable Buccaneers, which had the back-seater TV display and joystick controller needed to utilise the pod. The Pave Spike was wired in through the left inboard stores pylon. Buccaneers carrying Pave Spike were capable of illuminating targets for the laser-guided bombs of other Buccaneers, Jaguars, and other strike aircraft.

RAF Buccaneers never used the Royal Navy reconnaissance pack, though Buccaneer crew on maritime patrol were sometimes provided with hand-held cameras to photograph Warsaw Pact vessels.


The opportunities for Buccaneer squadrons to engage in realistic training were limited, and so when the US began their Red Flag yearly military exercises at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in 1975, the RAF became keenly interested. The first Red Flag in which RAF aircraft were involved was in 1977, with ten Buccaneers and two Vulcan bombers participating.

Buccaneers would be involved in later Red Flags up to 1983, and in 1979 also participated in the similar Maple Flag exercise over Canada. The Buccaneer proved extremely impressive with its fast low-level attacks, which were highly accurate despite the aircraft's lack of terrain-following radar and other modern avionics. They were able to penetrate adversary defenses, and in fact were credited with "kills" on defending fighters using Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. 

However, during the 1980 Red Flag exercises Buccaneer XV345 lost a wing and crashed, killing its crew. The cause of the accident was fatigue in the front wing spar, and the entire Buccaneer force was grounded and inspected. Some were repaired while others were condemned and scrapped, and due to this attrition one Buccaneer squadron was disbanded.
 
In the early 1980s the Panavia Tornado IDS variant began to replace the Buccaneer in the overland strike role while the Buccaneer was increasingly reassigned to maritime duties, retaining overland attack as a secondary mission. RAF Buccaneers gradually accumulated back to their old home at Lossiemouth. However in 1983 six Buccaneers were sent to Cyprus to support British peacekeepers in Lebanon, and on 11 September 1983 two of these aircraft flew low over Beirut as an exercise in gunboat diplomacy.
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The Buccaneer was in fact updated to keep it effective, the most significant improvement being the Sea Eagle anti shipping missile. Sea Eagle was derived from Martel but featured a small jet engine instead of rocket propulsion as well as a navigation system that allows it to skim over the top of the waves. Most importantly, it had a completely autonomous - "fire and forget" -  active radar target seeker rather than a video uplink.

Without the need for a data link pod on one underwing pylon, the Buccaneer could carry four Sea Eagles and an avionics update package (AUP) for the 42 Sea Eagle capable  Buccaneers included an inertial navigation system, an improved radio and RWR, and support for the AIM-9G and AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles. The "all-aspect" AIM-9L was a great improvement from the older "tail-chase" versions of the Sidewinder, and provided a practical means of self-defense.

Tracor AN/ALE-40 chaff and flare dispensers were fitted on the outer wing and under the jetpipes, replacing improvised dispensing schemes used previously. Plans for a head-up display (HUD) were dropped due to expense.

 
 

   
  There the so called "Sky Pirates"  would receive additional modification in the form of classic and skillful combat nose art, accompanied with names such as "Laser Lips Laura", "Flying Mermaid", "Sea Witch", "Hello Sailor", and "Guinness Girl".  Initially assigned to Pave Spike target designator duties for other aircraft, after air superiority was established the Sky Pirates attacked Saddam Hussein's forces  with LGBs themselves. before returning to the UK in March 1991.  They had flown 250 combat sorties, "spiking" 169 LGBs dropped by other aircraft and 48 dropped by Buccaneers. Unfortunately, on return the nose art was generally painted out, as it was too "politically incorrect" for the home front.
 
 

   
  Until 1990 only South African Buccaneers had seen combat as the RAF examples had not taken part in the 1982 Falklands Conflict.  However, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
12 Buccaneer S2s were modified with secure radios, an updated identification friend or foe (IFF) transponder, and a "desert pink" color scheme and flew to Saudi Arabia. 
As part of Operation Granby, the RAF Lossiemouth Gulf Detatchment was eventually based at Muharraq, Bahrain.

There the so called "Sky Pirates"  would receive additional modification in the form of classic and skillful combat nose art, accompanied with names such as "Laser Lips Laura", "Flying Mermaid", "Sea Witch", "Hello Sailor", and "Guinness Girl".  Initially assigned to Pave Spike target designator duties for other aircraft, after air superiority was established the Sky Pirates attacked Saddam Hussein's forces  with LGBs themselves. before returning to the UK in March 1991.  They had flown 250 combat sorties, "spiking" 169 LGBs dropped by other aircraft and 48 dropped by Buccaneers. Unfortunately, on return the nose art was generally painted out, as it was too "politically incorrect" for the home front.

The Gulf War was a satisfying end to long and reliable service by the Buccaneer. The end of the Cold War meant the withdrawal of Tornado squadrons from Germany, and these newer aircraft were assigned to replace the Buccaneer in the maritime strike role. Buccaneer advocates were not entirely enthusiastic about this switch, as the Tornado had shorter range than the Buccaneer, and could only carry two Sea Eagles, in contrast to the Buccaneer's store of four such missiles.

The last military Buccaneer flights took place in early 1995

A total of 206 Buccaneers were built in all, with the aircraft giving over 30 years of reliable service. While the aircraft was designed for the Royal Navy, it gave its longest service with the Royal Air Force, who ended up liking it almost in spite of themselves.
 
 

   
  Bought by Gary Spoors and Dave Price, they put her on loan to the Jet Age Museum at Gloucestershire Airport at Staverton until 2000. Work there concentrated on the cockpit - the front cockpit was fairly complete, but the rear cockpit had over 90% of the instrumentation missing
 
 

   
  Delivered to the MoD (Procurement Executive) on the last day of 1974, XX889 began her RAF career with 16 Squadron at RAF Laarbruch and went on to serve with 15, 12 and 208 Squadrons. By 1986 she had been upgraded to carry Sea Eagle missiles and was transferred to 237 OCU in December of that year, returning to 12 Squadron in May 1987.

She took part in the 1991 Gulf War, painted in desert pink colours and named 'Longmorn' but with no nose art. She had lost her desert pink scheme by October 1991 and in August 1992 gained new grey colours. She ended her career with 208 Squadron, and her last flight was on 7 April 1994 to 19 MU at RAF St. Athan for storage prior to disposal.

Bought by Gary Spoors and Dave Price, XX889 was loaned for display to the Jet Age Museum at Gloucestershire Airport at Staverton until 2000. Work there concentrated on the cockpit - the front cockpit was fairly complete, but the rear cockpit had over 90% of the instrumentation missing

Work by Buccaneer Engineering began in April 2003 and quite a lot of instrumentation was re-installed. The aircraft was repainted in her current scheme for static display at RIAT 2003 at RAF Fairford - part of the '100 years of flight' exhibition.

XX889 then moved to storage at Staverton while the Jet Age Museum looked for another home, but as this has yet to happen, she was moved once again, in April 2007, to Kemble and the care of the Buccaneer Society. Work on her restoration continues and a repaint into her Gulf War colours was completed in early 2008. 
 
 

   
  XX889 then moved to storage at Staverton while the Jet Age Museum looked for another home, but as this has yet to happen, she was moved once again, in April 2007, to Kemble and the care of the Buccaneer Society. Work on her restoration continues and a repaint into her Gulf War colours was completed in early 2008.