Blackburn B-103 Buccaneer

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Contents

Type Description

• B-103 Buccaneer S.1
• Two seat, mid-wing, twin-engine naval low-level subsonic strike aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), to Specification M.148T to meet the requirements of Naval Staff Requirement NR/A.39. The fuselage of the Buccaneer was designed using the area rule technique, which had the effect of reducing aerodynamic drag while travelling at transonic speeds. The majority of the airframe and fuselage was machined from solid castings to give the required strength to endure the stress of low-level operations. The fuselage featured a rotating bomb bay and could carry eight 1,000 lb bombs, WE177 tactical nuclear weapon, or rocket pods. A search radar was mounted in the nose. A large air brake formed the tail-cone of the aircraft. The hydraulically operated air brake formed two leaves that could be opened into the airstream to quickly decelerate the aircraft. It featured a variable incidence tailplane, high mounted due to the positioning and functionality of the Buccaneer's air brake, that could be trimmed to suit the particular requirements of low-speed handling, or high-speed flight. The crew sat in a tandem-seat arrangement, under a single sliding canopy, with the observer seated higher and offset from the pilot to give a clear view forwards to enable him to assist in visual search.
  The small wing, with the two jet engines integrated in the wing roots, was suited to high-speed flight at low altitude. However, a small wing did not generate sufficient lift that was essential for carrier operations, therefore, Boundary Layer Control (BLC) was used upon both the wing and tailplane, having the effect of energising and smoothing the boundary layer airflow, which significantly reduced airflow separation at the back of the wing, and therefore decreased stall speed, and increased effectiveness of trailing edge control surfaces, including flaps and ailerons. Two 7,100 lb.s.t. de Havilland (later Bristol Siddeley) Gyron Junior 101 turbojets.

• B-103 Buccaneer S.2
• Re-engined S.1 to Specification M.232D&P to meet the requirements Naval Staff Requirement NSR.6396. Two 11,100 lb.s.t. Rolls-Royce RB.168-1A Spey turbofans, which provided 40% more thrust. The turbofan Spey also had significantly lower fuel consumption than the pure-jet Gyron, which provided improved range. The engine nacelles and intakes had to be enlarged to accommodate the Spey, and the wing required minor aerodynamic modifications as a result. Electronic components were replaced by more modern and more reliable versions and a new electrical generating system was also included, along with stronger undercarriage. Armament was increased by an additional four 1,000 lb bombs.

B-103 Buccaneer S.2 Specification
Span	Length	Height	Wing Area	Empty Wt	Max AUW	Cruise Speed	Maximum Speed	Range	Service Ceiling
44 ft	63 ft 5 in	16 ft 3 in	514 sq ft	30000 lb	62000 lb		670 mph/ 582 kn	2000 mi	40000 ft
13.41 m	19.33 m	4.95 m	47.75 m2	13608 kg	28123 kg		1078 km/h	3219 km	12192 m

• B-103 Buccaneer S.2A
• Ex-FAA S.2 aircraft reworked for the RAF to near S.2B standards.

• B-103 Buccaneer S.2B
• RAF variant, new build or converted ex-FAA aircraft, to meet the requirements of ASR.391, with strengthened undercarriage and bulged bomb bay doors. No deck take-off fittings. Capable of carrying 2 × AIM-9 Sidewinders for self-defence, 2 × Martel (passive radar guided (AS 37) or video guided (AJ 168)) missiles, or 4 × Sea Eagle missile, based on P.134 studies. The AN/ALQ-101 ECM protection pod, AN/AVQ-23 Pave Spike laser designator pod, buddy refuelling pack or drop tanks for extended range/loitering time could also be carried.

• B-103 Buccaneer S.2C
• Fleet Air Arm Buccaneer S.2 with upgraded avionics to S.2A standard.

• B-103 Buccaneer S.2D
• Fleet Air Arm Buccaneer S.2 with upgraded avionics to S.2B standard.

• P.136 Buccaneer S.50
• Variant of the S.2 for South Africa. Wings could be folded but folding was no longer powered. Two Bristol Siddeley B.S.605 rocket engines added in the rear fuselage to assist take-off from hot-and-high airfields. Armament as S.2, plus four AS.30 AGMs.

Projected Variants

B-103A
• B-103 development for the RAF to meet GOR.339. Two Bristol Siddeley Gyron Junior turbojets.

B-108
• B-103 development for the RAF, with lengthened cockpit and nose, to meet GOR.339. Two Bristol Siddeley Gyron Junior turbojets.

B-109
• B-103 supersonic interceptor and strike variant for Canada. Lengthened fuselage, with two Rolls-Royce Avon RB.146 turbojets.

B-111
• B-103 development for the RAF to meet OR.333. Two re-heated Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofans.

B-112
• B-111 variant for naval combat air patrol, fitted with four AAMs. Two re-heated Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofans.

B-113
• B-111 variant for Australia.

B-116
• B-103 variant for the German Navy with Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofans.

B-117
• B-112 high altitude fighter variant with increased wing and tailplane area. Two re-heated Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofans.

B-124
• B-103 development.

B-126
• B-103 land based development.

B-127
• B-103 variable geometry development.

B-128
• Buccaneer S.2 with re-heated Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofans.

B-129
• Land based supersonic fighter development of Buccaneer Mk.2. Two re-heated Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofans.

P.132
• Buccaneer S.1 with rocket assisted take off (RATOG).

P.133
• Buccaneer S.2 with rocket assisted take off (RATOG).

P.134
• Buccaneer S.2 with improved weapons system (also unofficially known as the Mk.2* or Bucaneer Mk.3). The single wing pylon outboard of the wing fold was increased to three and repositioned for the carriage or Martel missiles.

Buccaneer projects continued under the Hawker Siddeley name :

P.140
• Supersonic naval fighter variant of B-129.

P.142
• Supersonic Buccaneer development.

P.145
• Land based Buccaneer development.

P.148
• Retrofit of Spey into Buccaneer S.1

P.149
• RAF Buccaneer proposal. One Rolls-Royce RB.162 or Rolls/Allison XJ.99 turbojet take-off boost engine added to the rear fuselage.

P.150
• Supersonic RAF Buccaneer proposal with re-heated Rolls-Royce RB.168 Spey turbofans.

P.157
• Close air support and strike development.

Production Details

Production References

1. Blackburn Aircraft Since 1909, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 1968 and 1989)
2. Fleet Air Arm Fixed Wing Aircraft Since 1946, Ray Sturtivant with Mick Burrows and Lee Howard (Air Britain Publications, 2004)
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft XA100-XZ999, RAF Aircraft Register Series (Air-Britain Publications, 2001)
4. British Military Aircraft Serials and Markings, British Aviation Research Group (BARG/Nostalgair, 1983)
5. From Spitfire to Eurofighter, Roy Boot (Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1990)