The Blackburn Buccaneer was a low-level, high-speed, carrier-borne strike aircraft utilized by the British Royal Air Force and its Royal Navy (South Africa proved the only foreign operator of the type). Designed to a Royal Navy requirement, the Buccaneer featured a crew of two seated in tandem, an internal weapons bay to complement the external stores and a tailcone that split vertically to act as a large-area airbrake. The prototype Buccaneer first flew on April 30th, 1958 and would become the lead to twenty total "NA-39" pre-production forms.
Beginning in 1962, the 40 initial production quality Buccaneers - designated as "S.Mk 1" - were delivered with de Havilland Gyron Junior 7,100lb thrust turbojet engines where as performance issues were then addressed with the 80 examples of the upcoming "S.Mk 2"mark to feature the Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 101 turbofan engine of 11,200lbs standard thrust. Blackburn Aircraft handled production of the first 10 of this type before manufacture shifted under the Hawker Siddeley Aviation brand label. Future innovations included use of rocket-assisted take-off (ROTA) for carrier operations, incorporating a Bristol Siddeley Stentor rocket motor of 8,000lbs thrust.
Overall design of the Buccaneer centered around a tubular fuselage with pointed nose cone and tapered empennage. Wings were monoplane assemblies and fitted high along the fuselage sides. The fuselage was straddled by a pair of circular engine nacelles with intakes at the front and exhaust rings at the rear. The empennage was capped by a "T" style tail assembly atop its vertical fin. The framed cockpit was well-forward in the design, offering good views of the action ahead. The undercarriage was of a conventional tricycle arrangement. An in-flight refueling probe broadened operational ranges.
Performance for the definitive S.Mk 2 models included a maximum speed of 667 miles per hour with a service range of 2,300 miles and service ceiling of 40,000 feet. When empty, the aircraft weighed 30,000lbs and could take-off under a 62,000lb load. Length was 63 feet, 5 inches with a wingspan of 44 feet and height of 16 feet, 3 inches.
As a dedicated strike platform, the Buccaneer was cleared to carry a plethora of air-to-surface weaponry including conventional drop bombs, anti-fortification missiles, anti-ship missiles and unguided rocket pods. The internal weapons bay was quite sizeable for an aircraft of this type and thusly forced external fuel pods to be utilized more often than not to help keep operational ranges acceptable. Modernization programs undoubtedly helped to extend the service life of the aircraft which held origins in the 1950s.
With the growing interest in smaller aircraft carriers for the future Royal Navy, the dimensionally large Buccaneer as a future fixture was somewhat in doubt. Beginning in 1969, the Royal Navy's Buccaneer inventory was dispersed to the Royal Air Force as S.Mk 2 production models were modified into land-based strike platforms as the "S.Mk 2A" (the RAF, now devoid of the cancelled TSR-2 bomber program, lacked a suitable replacement for its since-retired fleet of English Electric Canberras). Support for the Martel ant-radar/anti-ship missile was brought about through the "S.Mk 2B" variant for the RAF and 46 of this type existed. Existing Royal Navy S.2s were then brought up to the S.Mk 2A standard under the "S.Mk 2C" designation. Similarly, Royal Navy S.Mk 2s brought up to the S.Mk 2B standard (with Martel missile support) were designated as the "S.Mk 2D". At least 16 Buccaneers were delivered to the South African Air Force under the S.Mk 50 designation and made up 24 Squadron SAAF.
At least 12 Buccaneers were shipped to the Persian Gulf during the 1991 Gulf War. These were equipped with laser designation equipment that allowed use of laser-guided bombs for precision strikes. The platform provided high-level bombing capability for itself and other coalition aircraft (SEPECAT Jaguars and Panavia Tornados) and eventually took on 218 strike sorties in the conflict. The aircraft was formally removed from this service in February of 1991 and the last British Buccaneer was retired in 1994.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
✓Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
✓Special-Mission: Anti-Ship
Equipped to search, track, and engage enemy surface elements through visual acquisition, radar support, and onboard weaponry.
✓Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
Length
63.4 ft (19.33 m)
Width/Span
44.0 ft (13.41 m)
Empty Wgt
29,800 lb (13,517 kg)
MTOW
62,001 lb (28,123 kg)
Wgt Diff
+32,201 lb (+14,606 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Blackburn Buccaneer production variant)
Installed:
2 x Rolls-Royce Spey Mk.101 turbofan engines developing 11,100 lb of standard thrust each.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Blackburn Buccaneer production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
Mission-specific armament included:
2 x "Martel" anti-ship missiles.
2 x "Sea Eagle" anti-ship missiles.
Up to 7,000 lb of conventional drop ordnance including 4,000 lb carried internally.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 4
Buccaneer - Base Series Name.
NA.39 - Pre-production designation; 20 examples produced.
S.Mk 1 - Initial Production Model of which forty were produced; fitted with 2 x de Havilland Gyron Junior 101 turbojet engines delivering 7,100lb of standard thrust.
S.Mk 2 - Improved production model of 1962 fitted with 2 x Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 101 turbofans; 84 produced - 10 by Blackburn and 74 by Hawker Siddeley.
S.Mk 2A - Royal Navy Buccaneers reallocated and modified for Royal Air Force usage.
S.Mk 2B - Improved S.Mk 2 Buccaneers for RAF with provision for Martel air-to-surface anti-ship missile systems; 49 examples produced from 1973 to 1977 (46 to the RAF, 3 for MoD weapons testing).
S.Mk 2C - Royal Navy aircraft modified to S.Mk 2A standard
S.Mk 2D - Royal Navy aircraft modified to S.Mk 2B standard with Martel missile support.
S.Mk 50 - South African model featuring Bristol Siddeley Stentor rocket motor for increased take-off performance; manually-folding wings; anti-ship/strike capability; 16 examples delivered (one loss to accident en route); operation from 1965 to 1991.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
Images Gallery
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South Africa; United Kingdom
