![]() The internal area of the aircraft’s rear fuselage was mostly occupied for storing the electronics, including many parts of the radio, radar equipment, and also the crew’s life oxygen support system. This was installed on the aircraft only when it was deployed for missions involving reconnaissance activities. The reconnaissance package had an arrangement of six cameras, each pointing at different angles or with different imaging properties. The bomb bay door was also capable of accommodating a 2000 liter auxiliary fuel tank and a photo-reconnaissance ‘crate’ or a cargo container. Buccaneer S.2 with wings folded, a space-saving feature typically employed by carrier aircraft. The Red Beard had an explosive yield between 10-20 kiloton and was mounted onto a special bomb bay door, into which it fitted perfectly and ensured that there was no aerodynamic buffet on the launch aircraft. However, this was canceled, and instead, the aircraft was equipped with the unguided 2,000 lb (907 kg) Red Beard tactical nuclear weapon. Initially, the Buccaneer was supposed to be armed with a nuclear air-to-surface missile codenamed Green Cheese. The Buccaneer was mainly developed as a maritime nuclear strike aircraft. The Buccaneer was known to be the Royal Navy’s backbone in ground strike operations, including the critical nuclear strike mission. The Buccaneer was one of the largest aircraft to operate from British aircraft carriers and it continued operating from them till the last conventional aircraft carrier was withdrawn from service in the year 1978. The warplane had an all-weather flying capability owing to the extensive electronics which were built for navigation and fire-control functions. The aircraft was often involved in long-range missions operating from both aircraft carriers as well as shore bases. During its years of service, the aircraft had to regularly fly at sea level in order to avoid radars and enemy defense systems. The Buccaneer was a mid-wing, twin-engine monoplane with the capacity for a two-person crew in a tandem seat arrangement. These aircraft were also procured by the South African Air Force in 1965. ![]() The Royal Navy’s Buccaneers were transferred to the RAF after it had retired the last two of its large aircraft carriers. While the RAF was initially not interested in procuring the Buccaneer as they were more in favor of the BAC TSR-2, it later agreed to procure the Buccaneer as a substitute of TSR-2 and its replacement, the F111K was canceled. ![]() A file photo of UK Royal Air Force Blackburn Buccaneer. To overcome this issue, the Navy soon introduced the Buccaneer 2.0 which was equipped with more powerful Rolls-Royce Spey engines. In the initial production stages, the aircraft faced a series of accidents due to poor engine power. The aircraft was active in the North Sea area for the most part of its service. The aircraft was introduced to the service in 1962 as a response to the advancements made in the Soviet Navy at that time.īuccaneer was also capable of delivering nuclear weapons as well as conventional munitions as part of anti-shipping warfare. The Buccaneer was originally procured by the Royal Navy as a naval strike aircraft capable of operating from aircraft carriers. The company was later known as the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer after its merger with the Hawker Siddeley group. The Buccaneer was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft. Recently, a software tycoon had to shell out a whopping £88,000 ($116,608) to own one of the Buccaneer planes, according to The Sun. The Blackburn Buccaneer was a subsonic carrier-capable fighter jet, which served with the British Royal Navy (RN) and later with the Royal Air Force (RAF) until its retirement in 1994.
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