Blackburn (BAE) Buccaneer

[Brian]

For pics of the bomb load on Buccs you could try from here.

http://nuclear-weapons.info/vw.htm

[Brian]

OOPs. Apologies chaps I b------d that one up, with duff links that didn't load.

Try it this way instead.

http://www.nuclear-weapons.info/images/we177-buccaneerS2.ppt (Bucc delivery methods)
http://www.nuclear-weapons.info/images/we177-buccaneerS2.ppt (Bucc rotating bomb bay)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7097101.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/uk/video/133000/bb/133417_16x9_bb.asx

[Jeffry Fontaine]

With the help of Brian Burnell - a researcher into the history of the British nuclear weapons programme who once designed bomb casings for atom bombs

Welcome aboard Brian.  I thought that name was familiar

Your own web page is interesting, looking forward to seeing all of the blank spaces filled in with information on the UK nuclear weapons. 

[Mossie]

The safety of the nation entrsuted to a bicycle lock, I love it!    It's worked though, hasn't it???

[TsrJoe]

Brilliant images Brian, love your site too, a mine of useful modelling reference material on UK. nukes (the colour profiles are especially useful)

some others of possible interest ...

http://groups.msn.com/TSR-2ResearchGroup/bactsr2weaponsampsystems.msnw

http://groups.msn.com/TSR-2ResearchGroup/specialweaponsimagefile.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1610

cheers, Joe

[Brian]

Don't be suckered by journo's b******t Jeffry, that quote was theirs not mine. Just the usual hyperbole.

Funny thing tho' - when we'd finished filming at Kemble we clambered aboard a BBC staff car (yep, a staff car) for the journey north to Cosford for more filming. Just as the car left I put a hand in my trouser pocket and realised I still had the keys to Kemble's nuclear bomb in my trouser pocket. The producer went into shock.

Glad you liked the site. Much more on the way, in no particular order. Meanwhile I'll be happy to answer specific queries if I can via the site's email link.

[Brian]

Some more WE.177 pics now up at http://nuclear-weapons.info in the WE.177 gallery.

[SPINNERS]

http://groups.msn.com/TSR-2ResearchGroup/bactsr2weaponsampsystems.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=1136

Are those cutaway bomb doors on that Buccaneer S.1 and did the aircraft in service have this feature?

[kitnut617]

Some more WE.177 pics now up at http://nuclear-weapons.info in the WE.177 gallery.

Crap!  I wouldn't want to be anyone on a helicopter when they dropped one of those 

[Brian]

Are those cutaway bomb doors on that Buccaneer S.1 and did the aircraft in service have this feature?

What you see is the rotary bomb door rotated 180^o to release the weapon. Soon after it would rotate closed. The internal face of the door was formed to the bomb shapes so that the bomb nested snugly and immediately before release it the top half of the bomb appeared to be recessed into the fuselage. So there appears to be a huge gap with bomb gone. The Bucc was unique in that it was configured to carry two WE.177 bombs of either the Type A or B or C. The Vulcan carried only one WE.177B bomb. Something to do with bomb door clearances I'm told. More likely money, and reluctance to cough up.

The Wessex helio and the Lynx and Sea King were able to exit the area and withstand the overpressure when the weapon detonated. The Wasp was problematical. To lift the weapon it had to be slung diagonally underneath with the doors and second crewmember removed to save weight. Its ability to withstand the overpressure was decidedly marginal.

[Zen]

The helicopter bombs where to my knowledge nuclear depth charges.

Of course the Wasp had a tendency to rise suddenly once the weapon was dropped!

[Brian]

Are those cutaway bomb doors on that Buccaneer S.1 and did the aircraft in service have this feature?

Try this for a WE.177 schematic in a Buccaneer bomb bay. Works best with Mozilla Firefox browser altho' Internet Explorer 6 or 7 is OK.
http://nuclear-weapons.info/images/we177-buccaneerS2.ppt

[retro_seventies]

Free Powerpoint viewer...

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=048dc840-14e1-467d-8dca-19d2a8fd7485&displaylang=en

[Jeffry Fontaine]

In the Airfix 1/48th scale Buccaneer double boxed kit there are two sizes of slipper tank.  Would it have been possible to fit the Buccaneer with both sets of tanks?  One combination could be the large tank inboard with the smaller tank outboard.  Another option is to put the larger tank outboard and the smaller tank inboard.  Fitted as such with all of that extra fuel I imagine the range would have been interesting.  With the takeoff weight as an issue, perhaps launch with empty tanks and fill up from a tanker as an option.   

Further off site discussion indicates that this idea is without a doubt a WHIF but it sure does solve a problem with what to do with the extra slipper tanks.  Another suggestion has been to scale-o-rama the tanks with a 1/72nd scale Avro Vulcan which also sounds attractive but that is another topic. 

Anyway the idea was to put the large and normal slipper tanks on the Buccaneer wing and call it a strategic configuration since it would be carrying enough fuel for an almost around the world cruise.  That way the bomb bay can be reserved for weapons

[PR19_Kit]

Does anyone have a photo, or a link to one, of the open bomb-bay door on a Bucc please?

I've tried Google Images and Airliners.net with no success (there are 563 photos on airliners!) and the only even vague showing is one of the recce pack, and that's not really 'open' as such. 

In the 70s the FAA Buccs used to fly over display airfields low and fast with the door rotated open and 'Fly Navy' painted on the inside. I'd have thought there was at least ONE photo of this, but it seems not.