Blackburn Buccaneer S.2 RAF 1967

Spinners · October 16, 2011

Such was the power and influence of First Sea Lord Earl Mountbatten that when the production order for the Buccaneer S.Mk2 was announced in January 1962 not only was his Royal Navy order for 80 aircraft intact but there was an unexpected RAF order for 100 aircraft as Canberra replacements for RAF Germany. This came as a blow to BAC who, despite no official announcement, knew that this meant the certain end of their outstanding TSR.2 programme although the axe wouldn't fall for another six months after an 'operational review'.

The original Blackburn Aviation team continued with the design, development and production of the Royal Navy version whilst Hawker Siddeley were given full control of the RAF programme and some urgency was injected into the programme with the grounding of the Vickers Valiant in 1964 due to fatigue problems. At the time, the Valiant was an important component to the RAF's contribtion to SACEUR and, in his role as deputy head of Allied Command Europe, the RAF's former Chief of the Air Staff Sir Thomas Pike requested an additional order for 40 Buccaneer S.2's which was sanctioned soon afterwards.

Hawker Siddeley worked flat out on the RAF Buccaneer programme and soon 'anti-flash' white Buccaneers were taking to the air with the first two squadrons to re-equip being No.100 and No.139 Squadrons at RAF Wittering who exchanged their Victor B.2's for Buccaneer S.2's in April 1967 in a move prompted by concerns of the Victor's suitability in the low-level strike role, the RAF's preference towards the Vulcan and the need for Victor B.2 airframes for conversion to tankers.