There was a weight switch in the Bucc...when A/C weight left the ground the U/C came up automatically....throw back from its navy days...:-)

Difference is, the Buccaneer could fly into the combat zone at above mach 1, drop it's payload, fly back & land, all without going above 50 feet off the deck. Most of the Iraqui airfields were taken out during the Gulf War in this manner. There's also footage from a joint UK/US wargame where the radar operators of a US sam site gave up trying to track the buccaneers on their radar & went outside to watch the flypass. Aparrently, their radar systems couldn't distinguish the Bucc from the ground.

in the early days of the gulf war yes, but because of losses to tornado aircrew they switched to night time hi altitude bombing, the buccaneers were fitted with the TIALD pods and the tornado's carried the payloads. they then worked in teams, the buccaneer was the target designator and the tornado dropped the ordanance.

R.A.F. Pilots, The Best in the World (and the best Ground crews)! That's why we kept beating the "Yanks" on "Redflag". BTW; You should have seen them on QRA alert. 15 Sqn, and 16 Sqn (Saints). You've also got to remember that these are Very heavy Aircraft with Heavy Loads, it makes sense to use "ground effect" (also rem. that they were originally Navy A/C flying from Carriers). I hated doing the micro-switch checks in the Bomb-bay Door or Clam Shell (Lecky).

Whoa nice flying, must have flown that plane for a few years.

Cool as fuck. UK aircraft with UK pilots are undoubtedly the best. Fuck anyone who thinks differently...

Crazy putting the gear up so soon after rotaion, leaves no room for error.