XW533 - S.Mk.2B Production

Aircraft History

XW533 - Buccaneer S.Mk.2B

216 Sqn., RAF Honington, January 1980

Serial - XW533C/n - B3-02-70
First Flown	-----
Date Delivered	26/02/1971	To Royal Air Force
	10/03/1971	Issued to 15 Sqn., RAFG Laarbruch, West Germany
	05/03/1973	Transferred to 16 Sqn., RAFG Laarbruch, West Germany
	Feb 1976	Transferred to 12 Sqn., RAF Honington
	Mar. 1978	Transferred to 16 Sqn., RAFG Laarbruch, West Germany
	01/07/1979	Transferred to 216 Sqn., RAF Honington
	Feb. 1980	Buccaneer fleet grounded for six months following crash of XV345 at Nellis AFB, Nevada, USA during Exercise 'Red Flag 80'
	01/08/1980	Issued to 12 Sqn., RAF Honington
	Jan. 1981	Transferred to 237 OCU, RAF Honington
	Apr. 1982	Transferred to 15 Sqn., RAFG Laarbruch, West Germany - coded 'K'
	Jul. 1983	Transferred to 16 Sqn., RAFG Laarbruch, West Germany
	03/11/1983	Transferred to 237 OCU, RAF Honington
	1985	Mod's 1724 to 1727 completed - Sea Eagle 'Anti-Ship' missile capability (1 of 20 airframes modified Pre-ASR1012 (Avionics Upgrade Programme)
	Apr. 1985	Issued to 208 Sqn., RAF Lossiemouth
	By 1987	208 Sqn., RAF Lossiemouth - coded '533'
Date Received	11/11/1988	To BAe Woodford - ASR1012 (Set No.035) Avionics Upgrade Programme (AUP) - 29wks cycle
Date Delivered	05/06/1989	'AUP' completed - returned to 'Operational Status'
	Jun. 1989	Transferred to 237 OCU, RAF Lossiemouth - coded '533'
Date (exact) Between	(unknown) Aug.1989 Jan. 1991	*Mod.1736 'Modified'* - Smaller Wingtips** — Fitted to extend airframe flying hours by reducing wing-loading. Result of fatigue testing of XN982 at HS Brough, to determine cause of the crash of XV345 while participating in 'Red Flag 80' on 07/02/1980 - (Fatigue testing commenced Jun. 1982 - solution implimented to specific airframes from Aug.1989-onwards)
	Jan. 1991	Prepared for Operation 'Granby' - painted Desert 'ARTF' (Alkali Removable Temporary Finish) - coded 'A'
	27/01/1991	Direct Transit to Muharraq Air Base, Bahrain - with In-Flight Re-Fuelling 1^st six aircraft: XX899/ P XX892/ I XW547/ R XW533/ A XX889/ T XW530/ E 'Nose Art' added during the campaign: 'Miss Jolly Roger/Fiona/Glenfarclas' By the end of campaign, eleven mission symbols displayed on starboard nose below cockpit canopy
	17/03/1991	Returned to RAF Lossiemouth form the Gulf
	Mar. 1991	Re-joined 237 OCU, RAF Lossiemouth
	Sep. 1992	Scrapped - Elgin, Moray, Scotland

Gulf War History of XW533 - "A" Miss Jolly Roger/Fiona/Glenfarclas
Date:		Additional Information:
27/01/1991	Transit from RAF Lossiemouth to Muharraq Air Base, Bahrain	Direct flight - (8 hrs 50 mins)
Date:	Target:	Additional Information:
05/02/1991	As Samawah — Bridge
07/02/1991	Al Fallujah — Highway bridge
09/02/1991	As Nasiriyah — Pontoon As Samawah — POL (Petrol, Oil, Lubricant)	DNCO (Duty Not Carried Out) DNCO - weather
10/02/1991	Ar Ramadi — Highway bridge	DNCO - weather
11/02/1991	Al Amarah — Highway bridge
14/02/1991	*Ubaydah Bin Al Jarrah Airfield — HAS sites**	*Hardened Aircraft Shelter
16/02/1991	Qal'at Salih Airfield Shatt Al Arab — waterway	DNCO
18/02/1991	Jalibah South East Airfield
19/02/1991	Shaibah Airfield
20/02/1991	Kut Al Hayy East Airfield	DNCO - weather
22/02/1991	Kut Al Hayy East Airfield — Taxiway
23/02/1991	Al Amara New Airfield — Surfaces
24/02/1991	Tallil Airfield — POL (Petrol, Oil, Lubricant)
27/02/1991	Habbaniyah Airfield — Ammunition store
Date:		Additional Information:
17/03/1991	Transit from Muharraq Air Base, Bahrain to RAF Lossiemouth	Direct flight - (8 hrs 30 mins)

Note: Gulf War records obtained from photocopy entries of both the crews' logbooks and actual Authorisation Sheets
- by courtesy of the 'Buccaneer Aircrew Association'


Source -			Buccaneer: The story of the last all-British strike aircraft (Tim Laming) Hawker Siddeley/Blackburn Buccaneer (Paul Jackson & Peter Foster) RAF Buccaneer (Peter R. Foster) (see Reference Library page for full details)
Additional Info. -			R. Kelley: Airframe C/n NJ. Roberson (Historian, Buccaneer Aircrew Association) for information on: ASR1012 'Avionics Upgrade Programme' + 'Modified'-Smaller 'Wingtip' Airframes British Aviation Review - Vol.36 No.4