Blackburn Buccaneer

Book excerpt: Conceived in the 1950s as a replacement for the Supermarine Scimitar, the Blackburn Buccaneer went into service with the Royal Navy as its main carrier-borne nuclear strike aircraft. But with a diminishing role to play in world affairs, and a reduction in the number of aircraft carriers, the Navy disposed of its Buccaneers to the RAF, where they went on to become one of the Force's most successful and best-loved aircraft. This complete history of the Buccaneer takes the reader from first proposals and the original production S.1 to the final fling of the type as a laser target aircraft during the first Gulf War.