Cover artwork of an original Blackburn brochure showing the Buccaneer S.1. Blackburn Buccaneer Warplane 08 with a Bristol Mercury or Perseus engine, but at the start of the war Blackburn Aircraft Ltd. - A short overview they were already outdated! During the Second World War Blackburn produced the Botha, a twin- Robert Blackburn (born 26 March 1885 - died 10 September 1955) engine reconnaissance bomber. Although it had very mediocre per- started to build aeroplanes in 1909, although his fi rst design, a formances and poor single-engine fl ying characteristics it was built in monoplane, never fl ew. It was his second monoplane that actually fairly large numbers with a total production of 676 aircraft. fl ew when it made its fi rst fl ight in March 1911. He designed and built Blackburn also developed and built a naval fi ghter as the B.37 1 more monoplane types, but without great success. In 1913 he built Firebrand, fi tted with a Napier Sabre liquid-cooled engine. As a fi ghter 7 his fi rst fl oatplane, the Type L and although only one was build, it was it was never used, but fi tted with a Bristol Centaurus radial engine it impressed by the British Admiralty when the First World War broke was used on a small scale as a torpedo bomber but it arrived too late out in 1914. to play any role in the war. Before the war the Blackburn Aeroplane Co. was founded with a After the war, the most important Blackburn product except for the small production workshop at the Balm Road in Leeds, Yorkshire. The Buccaneer was the Beverly transport plane, a project taken over from company moved later to the nearby Olympia works at the Roundhay General Aircraft Ltd, where it was known as the G.A.L. 60 Universal Road in Leeds. The monoplane was soon followed by the twin-fuselage freighter. It was built as standard transport plane for the R.A.F., but T.B. seaplane, which was built in small quantity (8) for the Royal Naval also here only in limited numbers! Air Service. The next type that would see limited production was the Before the Buccaneer, Blackburn had very little experience with jet 2 large twin-engine Kangaroo bomber. After the war, the Kangaroo was aircraft design, but at least they built one, although this is quite 8 also used as a civil airplane. unknown. Under their own designation YB-2 Blackburn constructed for Eventually all construction work was moved to the Brough factory, Handley Page a small jet-propelled research plane intended as a fl ying where it remained until their last type, the Buccaneer was built. The test model for the crescent-winged Handley Page Victor V-bomber. fi nal company name became Blackburn Aircraft Ltd. Instead of building this themselves, the project was contracted out Blackburn also designed and built a special small fl ying boat racer to initially at Supermarine, but later at General Aircraft. When the latter participate in the 1923 Schneider Cup fl ying contests, but this already was taken over by Blackburn, it was completed by Blackburn. This jet crashed before the event took place! plane is better known as the Handley Page HP.88 and it must have Until the outbreak of the Second World War Blackburn produced for contributed almost nothing to the Victor project since it soon crashed 3 the greatest part naval aircraft types, although not all of these were after its fi rst fl ight in 1951 following structural problems. At least this successful. Especially the large fl ying boat R.B.3 Perth should be project provided Blackburn some basic knowledge and experience on 9 mentioned. Although it was produced in very modest numbers, the the construction of fast jet-propelled aircraft! Perth was extensively used for maritime patrol missions. Blackburn also tried, and mainly failed, to introduce a number of single engine Concluding we may say that before Blackburn merged into Hawker military aircraft types in the late twenties and early thirties. Only Siddeley/British Aircraft Corporation it was a relatively small aircraft the Ripon naval reconnaissance/torpedo bomber biplane was built in manufacturer. some numbers with a total of 96 delivered as a land-based plane with The design and fi nal construction of the Blackburn Buccaneer was for wheels and as a fl oatplane. this company a very ambitious and challenging project and in fact it By the late thirties, Blackburn manufactured in somewhat larger was the best aircraft they made during their existence!! 4 numbers the naval aircraft Skua dive bomber and the Roc fi ghter, 10 fi tted with a four-gun turret. Both were a low-wing monoplanes fi tted 7 - Th e Botha was the Blackburn type able resemblance with the Blackburn 1 4 built in most numbers, although it type. It was powered by an Armstrong - Th e twin-fuselage Type T.B. of 1916 - Th e Blackburn Ripon of the never excelled as a really good plane Siddeley Double Mamba turboprop was for its time a very modern design, thirties was built in some numbers as ( Johan Vischendijk collection). engine. although the few machines built were a reconnaissance and torpedo plane for hardly used operationally. 8 11 2 the Royal Navy. Some were exported to - Th e Blackburn B.20 of 1940 was - Th e ungainly looking, but very - Th e Pellet Schneider Cup racer of Finland. A number was also licence- a very advanced fl ying boat with a re- eff ective Blackburn Beverly became 5 1923 already sank before the contest manufactured in Finland. tractable hull. Only one was built and after the war a standard R.A.F. 11 took place. 5 it crashed at an early fl ight stage. transport plane. A few were also used 3 - Th e Perth was in the thirties a very 9 on the civil market. - Th e Lincock was an attempt from familiar sight and it served very well - Th e Firebrand torpedo bomber was 12 Blackburn to enter the biplane fi ghter although only a handful were actually too late to be used in the Second World - Th e short-living Handley Page market in the late twenties, but at the built. War. Some 175 were supplied after the HP.88 was in fact built by Blackburn end only three were built! Also licence 6 war to the Royal Navy. and gave the company its badly needed production of this type in Italy by - Th e Blackburn Roc was, just like 10 experience on jet aircraft design when Piaggio never emerged and only one the Boulton Paul Defi ant, a fi ghter - Th e Y.B.1 was a naval torpedo they started later the Buccaneer project. single machine was produced. Th e photo armed with a multi-gun rear turret. bomber and attack plane/U-boat Th e single HP.88 fl ew in military 6 depicts the Lincock III. It performed defi nitely less than the hunter, but it lost from the Fairey markings with R.A.F. serial number 12 Defi ant! Gannet, which showed a remark- VX330. 2 3 Blackburn Buccaneer Warplane 08 Th e extreme end of the fuselage was used Martin Baker ejection seats under a large in the rear seat. Th e second prototype NA.39 prototype XK486 made in The Blackburn Buccaneer was the fi rst jet aircraft for a split air brake. A quite hidden feature single-piece backwards sliding canopy. XK487 followed with its fi rst fl ight on September of that year its fi rst offi cial specially designed for fl ying very low under the radar of the NA.39 was its system of boundary Since the new aircraft had to operate at 12 September 1958. Th e four evaluation public appearance at the SBAC airshow at high subsonic speeds. It was developed in the fi fties layer control to lower the landing speed. low altitude the structure was strength- aircraft XK488-XK491 followed over the at Farnborough. By that time it was of- and entered service at the Royal Navy in 1962. Later Th e NA.39 had a large rotating bomb-bay ened to withstand continuous low-level period November 1958-May 1959. fi cially named ‘Buccaneer’ with S.1 as type it also fl ew as an attack bomber at the R.A.F. and it below the fuselage that was hydraulically airfl ow. A further 14 pre-production aircraft designation. Th e fl ying program had a even played a role in the Gulf War in 1991 before being operated. It could be fi tted with various for service evaluation with RAF serial serious setback when XK490 crashed retired in 1994 after an operational career that spanned weapons and extra fuels. If needed it could Th e NA.39 prototype was built under numbers XK523 to XK536 were delivered Introduction three decades... carry a tactical nuclear bomb. Th e new great secrecy. Th e fi rst fl ight with the fi rst by the end of 1961. attack plane had a crew of two seated on prototype XK486 took place on 30 April 1958 from RAE Bedford by Blackburn chief test pilot Derek Whitehead with Early development and test fl ying fl ight test observer Bernard Watson Th e need for a special shipboard attack plane as a counter-threat against Soviet warships in the North Sea area became apparent at the early fi fties. Th e idea was to develop an aircraft that could fl y during an attack undetected below the ship’s radar.