Model of a Blackburn Buccaneer

A polished cast brass model of an S.2 Buccaneer jet, circa 1965. Mounted on newly made polished aluminium stand.

Dimensions: 18cm/ 7⅛ inches (wingspan) x 26cm/ 10¼ inches (length) x 18cm/ 7⅛ inches (height on stand).

About the Blackburn S.2 Buccaneer

The Blackburn S.2 Buccaneer was a British low-level strike aircraft with nuclear weapon delivery capability. It served with the Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm) and the Royal Air Force between 1962 and 1994, including service in the 1991 Gulf War.

In the early 1950s, the Russian Navy introduced a new light cruiser vessel into service. These vessels were fast, effectively armed and presented a serious threat to the merchant fleets in the Atlantic, putting the Royal Navy at serious risk as the German "pocket battleships" had in WWII. The Russian cruisers were in far greater numbers and over 25% faster.

To counter this threat, the Royal Navy decided not to respond with a new ship class of its own, but with a new specialised strike aircraft employing conventional or nuclear weapons with the performance needed to guarantee successful attacks on the Soviet fleet. Operating from its fleet carriers and attacking at high-speed and low-level (to evade enemy radar), the Buccaneer would offer a solution to this new problem.

Designed and initially produced by Blackburn Aircraft at Brough it was later known as the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer when Blackburn became a part of the Hawker Siddeley group.  It was powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey turbojet engines and was capable of flying at high speeds at low altitudes, making it an ideal aircraft for attacking ground targets.