B-103 Buccaneer
Buccaneer S.2B with Sea Eagle missiles
Type	Strike aircraft
Manufacturer	Blackburn Aircraft Limited Hawker Siddeley Aviation
Designed by	B. P. Laight
Maiden flight	30 April 1958
Introduced	17 July 1962
Retired	1993 (United Kingdom)
Primary users	Fleet Air Arm Royal Air Force South African Air Force

The Blackburn Buccaneer was a British attack aircraft serving with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. It was widely regarded as one of the finest low-level strike aircraft of its day. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... Blackburn Aircraft Ltd. ... Hawker-Ciggerley was a group of UK aircraft manufacturing companies formed as a result of the merger of Hawker Aircraft with Armstrong Siddeley. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1958: Events Gulfstream Aerospace founded in Savannah, Georgia, USA. London Gatwick Airport opens after two years of extensive reconstruction. ... July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1962: Events January US Army CH-21 Shawnees are dispatched to Vietnam, the first US military aircraft to be deployed there January 10-11 - a B-52 Stratofortress is flown from Okinawa to Madrid, establishing a new distance record of 12... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1993: Events The 1,000th Boeing 747 comes off the production line 26 years after the first 747 was built. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The South African Air Force roundel The South African Air Force (SAAF) (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag) is the air force of South Africa. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Design and development

RAF Buccaneer S.2B XX901 in 1981. The wrap-around camouflage was applied as observers would often be looking at the undersides of the aircraft as it manoeuvred at extremely low level.

Buccaneer airbrake detail

Buccaneer S.2 landing on HMS Eagle

Fleet Air Arm Buccaner landing on HMS Eagle with airbrake deployed

The Buccaneer was designed to fulfil Naval Staff Requirement NA39 (Ministry of Supply Specification M.148T) issued in 1953 for a carrier-borne strike aircraft with a long range (430 nautical mile radius of action), capable of 610 knots at sea level, carrying an internal load of up to 4,000 pounds (including nuclear weapons) - below enemy radar - and attacking ships or ports. Blackburn's design by B. P. Laight, 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". Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixels Full resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixels Full resolution (2816 × 2112 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... HMS Eagle was an aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy, in service 1951-1972. ... Image File history File links 14_Phantom_landing_on_Eagle_Mediterranean_Jan1970. ... Image File history File links 14_Phantom_landing_on_Eagle_Mediterranean_Jan1970. ... The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supplying of equipment to the British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ... A knot is a unit of speed, abbreviated kt or kn. ...

The Buccaneer was a mid-winged, twin-engined monoplane with a crew of two seated in tandem under a sliding canopy. In order to meet the demands of the specification the Buccaneer featured a number of novel and advanced design features. The fuselage was area ruled; meaning it was designed to reduce drag at transonic speeds. This gives rise to the characteristic curvy "Coke bottle" shape. Junkers patent drawing from March 1944. ... An object falling through a gas or liquid experiences a force in direction opposite to its motion. ... Transonic is an aeronautics term referring to a range of velocities just below and above the speed of sound. ... The wave shape (known as the dynamic ribbon device) present on all Coca-Cola cans throughout the world derives from the contour of the original Coca-Cola bottles. ...

The small wing of the Buccaneer is suited to high-speed flight at low level. Such a wing, however, does not generate the lift that is essential for low-speed carrier operations. Therefore, the wing and horizontal stabiliser are "blown" by bleeding compressor gas from the engine through surface vents. A consequence of the blown wing is that the engines are required to be run at high power for low-speed flight (in order to generate sufficient compressor gas for blowing). Blackburn's solution to this seemingly counter-productive situation was to provide a large air brake. The tail cone was formed from two leaves that could be hydraulically opened into the airstream to decelerate the aircraft. The nose cone and radar antennae could also be swung around by 180 degrees to reduce the length of the aircraft in the carrier hangar. This feature was particularly important as contemporary British aircraft carriers were particularly small. There are multiple definitions of lift: Lift, an aerodynamic force. ... Blown flaps are a powered aerodynamic high-lift device on the wings of certain aircraft to improve the low-speed lift during takeoff and landing. ... This machine has a single-stage centrifugal compressor and turbine, a recuperator, and foil bearings. ... In aeronautics air brakes are a type of flight control used on aircraft to reduce speed during landing. ... Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ...

The Buccaneer featured a variable incidence tailplane that could be trimmed to suit the particular requirements of low-speed handling or high-speed flight. At the low-levels and high speeds that the Buccaneer had to operate bomb bay doors could not be opened safely into the air stream, therefore ingenious doors were developed that rotated into the fuselage to expose the payload. This was also useful in assisting ground-level access. Fig. ... A bomb bay is an openable hatch in the floor of a bomber aircraft, that the bombs are dropped through. ...

The first Buccaneer model, the S.1, was powered by a pair of de Havilland Gyron Junior turbojets producing 7,100 pounds of thrust. This mark was somewhat underpowered, and as a consequence could not take off fully laden with both fuel and armament. A temporary solution to this problem was the "buddy" system; aircraft took off with a full load of weaponry and minimal fuel and would sortie with a Supermarine Scimitar that would deliver the full load of fuel by aerial refuelling. This was not an ideal solution however, as the loss of an engine during take-off could have been catastrophic, and the Gyron Junior gave a poor range due to high fuel consumption. The long term solution was the S.2, fitted with the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan, providing 40% more thrust with a greatly reduced fuel consumption. The engine nacelles had to be enlarged to accommodate the Spey, and the wing required minor aerodynamic modifications as a result. The S.2 Buccaneer had completely replaced the S.1 by November 1966. The PS.23 or PS.52 Gyron, also known as the Halford H-4, was Frank Halfords last turbojet design while working for de Havilland. ... The pound-force is a non-SI unit of force or weight (properly abbreviated lbf or lbf). The pound-force is equal to a mass of one pound multiplied by the standard acceleration due to gravity on Earth (which is defined as exactly 9. ... This refers to the aircraft, for other uses see Scimitar (disambiguation) The Supermarine Scimitar was a fighter aircraft in the British Fleet Air Arm. ... Aerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. ... The Spey is a low-bypass turbofan engine from Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 30 years. ...

With the introduction of the Martel air-to-surface missile, Some Mark 2 aircraft were converted to carry it, and became S.2D. The remaining aircraft became S.2C. Sixteen aircraft were built (and fifteen delivered) for the South African Air Force as the S.50, S.2 aircraft with the addition of Bristol Siddeley BS.605 rocket motors to provide additional thrust for the "hot and high" African airfields. Martel (AS 37) Type air-to-surface Nationality UK/France Era Cold War Launch platform fixed wing aircraft Target ship History Builder BAe, Matra Date of design ? Production period ? Service duration ? Operators FAA Variants AS 37 radar, AJ 168 Video Number built ? Specifications Type ? Diameter 0. ... An air-to-surface missile (also, air-to-ground missile, ASM or AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft (bombers, attack aircraft, fighter aircraft or other kinds) and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both. ... The South African Air Force roundel The South African Air Force (SAAF) (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag) is the air force of South Africa. ... Bristol Siddeley was a UK aero-engine manufacturer formed in 1959 from the merger of Bristol Aero Engines and Armstrong-Siddeley. ... A Soyuz rocket, at Baikanur launch pad. ...

When the Fleet Air Arm's fixed-wing operations ended in 1978, 62 of the 84 Buccaneer Mark 2 aircraft were transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF) as S.2A. These joined 26 aircraft that had been built by Blackburn's successor, Hawker Siddeley for the RAF as the S.2B. These aircraft were not navalised and, like the S.2A, had RAF-type communications and avionics equipment. The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Hawker-Ciggerley was a group of UK aircraft manufacturing companies formed as a result of the merger of Hawker Aircraft with Armstrong Siddeley. ...

Modifications

British aircraft were given upgrades during their lifespan. Self-defence was improved by the addition of the AN/ALQ-101 ECM pod, chaff and flare dispensers) and the Sidewinder missile). RAF low-level strike Buccaneers carried what was known as "retard defence"; four 1,000 pound retarded bombs internally that could be dropped to provide an effective deterrent against any following aircraft. They were able to operate the AN/AVQ 23E Pave Spike laser designator pod for Paveway II guided bombs and act as target designators for other aircraft. From 1986 No. 208 Squadron RAF used them with the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile. This does not cite its references or sources. ... Modern US Navy RR-129 and RR-124 chaff countermeasures and containers Chaff, originally called Window by the British, is a radar countermeasure in which aircraft or other targets spread a cloud of small, thin pieces of aluminium, metallised glass fibre or plastic, which either appears as a cluster of... A World War I-era parachute flare dropped from aircraft for illumination. ... The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. ... The Westinghouse Pave Spike is an electro-optical laser designator pod used to direct laser-guided bombs to target in daylight, visual conditions. ... A Paveway III seeker head, at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London. ... No 208(R) Squadron is a squadron of the RAF based at Valley AB, Anglesey,Wales. ... The BAe Sea Eagle is a medium weight, fire-and-forget, sea-skimming anti-ship missile designed and built by BAe Dynamics (now MBDA) in service with the Indian Navy. ... RBS-15 missile launched from a Sisu missile carriage. ...

Operational history

The Buccaneer entered service in 1962. In addition to conventional ordnance, in 1965 the Buccaneer was type-approved for nuclear weapons delivery ie the Red Beard and WE177 bombs. All nuclear weapons were carried internally. The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 km (11 mi) above the epicenter. ... A Red Beard weapon on its bomb trolley, fitted with a bomb-carrier prior to loading into a Canberra bomber. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ...

The Buccaneer 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 numbers of laser-guided bombs themselves. It left Fleet Air Arm 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. Combatants United States & US-led Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead, 1,000 wounded see section below The Gulf War or the Persian Gulf War (16 January 1991–28 February 1991)[1][2] was a conflict between Iraq and... Portable unit directing bombing in Afghanistan, 2001. ... A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a free-fall bomb, usually dropped from an aircraft, that is guided to its target by a laser designator The laser is directed at the target, illuminating it. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... HMS Ark Royal (R09) was an Audacious-class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy and, when she was decommissioned in 1978, was the Royal Navys last remaining conventional catapult and arrested-landing supercarrier. ...

South Africa was the only country other than the UK 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 can be hired out for pleasure flights around the coast. The South African Air Force roundel The South African Air Force (SAAF) (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag) is the air force of South Africa. ...

Variants

Buccaneer

Preproduction build of 20 aircraft.

Buccaneer S.1

First production model, powered by the Gyron Junior turbojet engines. 40 (?) built.

Buccaneer S.2

Conversion of the S.1 with various improvements and powered by the more powerful Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines. From 1962 10 were converted by Blackburn Aircraft Ltd. and 74 by Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd.

Buccaneer S.2A

Ex-Royal Navy aircraft reworked for RAF.

Buccaneer S.2B

Variant for RAF squadrons. Fully equipped and could carry the Martel anti-radar or anti-shipping missile. 45 built between 1973 and 1977.

Buccaneer S.2C

Royal Navy aircraft upgraded to S.2A standard.

Buccaneer S.2D

Royal Navy aircraft upgraded to S.2B standard, operational with Martels from 1975.

Buccaneer S.50

Variant for South Africa. Wings could be folded but folding was no longer powered. Aircraft could be equipped with 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.

The PS.23 or PS.52 Gyron, also known as the Halford H-4, was Frank Halfords last turbojet design while working for de Havilland. ... The Spey is a low-bypass turbofan engine from Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 30 years. ... Martel (AS 37) Type air-to-surface Nationality UK/France Era Cold War Launch platform fixed wing aircraft Target ship History Builder BAe, Matra Date of design ? Production period ? Service duration ? Operators FAA Variants AS 37 radar, AJ 168 Video Number built ? Specifications Type ? Diameter 0. ... JATO is an acronym for Jet Assisted Take Off. ... Air Force Base Waterkloof is an airbase of the South African Air Force. ... Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country South Africa Province Gauteng Established 1855 Area  - City 1,644 km²  (634. ...

Operators

 South Africa

• South African Air Force
  • No. 24 Squadron

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force
  • No. 12 Squadron RAF
  • No. 15 Squadron RAF
  • No. 16 Squadron RAF
  • No. 208 Squadron RAF
  • No. 216 Squadron RAF
  • No. 237 Operational Conversion Unit, RAF
• Fleet Air Arm
  • 700Z Naval Air Squadron (Intensive Flying Trials Unit)
  • 700B Naval Air Squadron
  • 736 Naval Air Squadron
  • 800 Naval Air Squadron
  • 801 Naval Air Squadron
  • 803 Naval Air Squadron
  • 809 Naval Air Squadron

Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Africa_1928-1994. ... The South African Air Force roundel The South African Air Force (SAAF) (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Lugmag) is the air force of South Africa. ... 24 Squadron SAAF is a disbanded squadron of the South African Air Force. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... No. ... No. ... No. ... No 208(R) Squadron is a squadron of the RAF based at Valley AB, Anglesey,Wales. ... No. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... 800 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed on 3 April 1933 by amalgamating Nos 402 and 404 (Fleet Fighter) Flights. ...

Popular culture

• Two Buccaneers were featured in the Frederick Forsyth novel The Fist of God, where they were assigned as target markers for the raid on the Al Qubai "scrapyard."

Frederick Forsyth. ... The Fist of God is a novel by Frederick Forsyth, mixing known fact with fiction to tell a story of the coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War racing against time to discover the true nature of Saddam Husseins secret weapon, The Fist of God. ...

Specifications (Buccaneer S.2)

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 63 ft 5 in (19.33 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft (13.41 m)
• Height: 16 ft 3 in (4.97 m)
• Wing area: 514.7 ft² (47.82 m²)
• Empty weight: 30,000 lb (14,000 kg)
• Loaded weight: 62,000 lb (28,000 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 101 turbofans, 11,100 lbf (49 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 645 mph (560 knots, 1,040 km/h) at 200 ft (60 m)
• Range: 2,000 nautical miles (2,300 mi, 3,700 km)
• Service ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,200 m)
• Wing loading: 120.5 lb/ft² (587.6 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.36

Armament

• Up to 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) of ordnance carried in the internal bomb bay and on four underwing hardpoints

Image File history File links HAWKER_SIDDELEY_BUCCANEER.png This picture may have usage restrictions HAWKER SIDDELEY BUCCANEER Source: https://airdefense. ... The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... The Spey is a low-bypass turbofan engine from Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 30 years. ... Schematic diagram of high-bypass turbofan engine CFM56-3 turbofan, lower half, side view. ... The pound-force is a non-SI unit of force or weight (properly abbreviated lbf or lbf). The pound-force is equal to a mass of one pound multiplied by the standard acceleration due to gravity on Earth (which is defined as exactly 9. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Thrust-to-weight ratio (where weight means weight at the Earths surface) is a dimensionless parameter characteristic of rocket and jet engines, and of vehicles propelled by such engines (typically space launch vehicles and jet aircraft). ...

References

External links

• Blackburn Buccaneer Society
• Blackburn Buccaneer: The Last British Bomber
• Blackburn Buccaneer from Thunder and Lightnings
• The Blackburn Buccaneer at Air Vectors
• Buccaneer Gallery
• Blackburn Buccaneer: The Awesome 'Banana' Jet
• The FAA Buccaneer Association
• Photo of Red Beard drop-test in 1965

Related content

Comparable aircraft

• Panavia Tornado
• Sukhoi Su-24
• A-6 Intruder
• Nanchang Q-5

Designation sequence

• B-100 - B-101 - B-107 - Buccaneer

Related lists

• List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
• List of attack aircraft

See also

• Portal:British aircraft since World War II