"Buccaneer S2B"

by Brian Fare

The Limited Edition Print (Edition Size 250)

The Limited Edition Print is signed by the artist Brian Fare and is accompanied with a matching numbered certificate of authenticity.


Overall Print Size 297 mm x 420 mm (11.7in x 16.5 in) Printed in lightfast inks on 300gsm acid free archival paper.

Buccaneer S2B XX885 ‘Famous Grouse’
The Buccaneer, built by Blackburn (BAe) at Brough, epitomises the fast, low-level ground attack concept. Having enjoyed a successful, albeit relatively uneventful, career with the Royal Navy, the Buccaneer realised its true potential with the RAF and S African Air Force where it soon proved itself to be an immensely strong, manoeuvrable and reliable aircraft with a better speed, range and weapons carrying capability than many others. The Buccaneer was designed in the late 1950's as a low-level, long range, high speed, strike / attack / recce aircraft for carrier and land operations. It was produced in two main variants, the S1 and the much improved and more powerful S2, the latter serving with both the Royal Navy and RAF from 1965 to 1994.

The aircraft depicted is XX885 / G-HHAA and was built as an S2b and delivered on 20th May 1974 to the RAF being one of the last Buccaneers to be built. XX885 served in Germany with No's 15 & 16 Sqns; then at Lossiemouth with 12 & 208 Sqn and 237 OCU. In 1983, XX885 was one of six aircraft deployed to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus under Operation 'Pulsator' in support of British Army contingent of the UN peace-keeping force stationed in Lebanon.

In 1991 XX885 was prepped for Operation 'Granby' and painted in the Desert pink colour scheme and deployed to Muharraq Air Base, Bahrain. During the Gulf campaign, the 'Hello Sailor/Caroline/Famous Grouse' nose art was added. By the end of campaign, seven mission symbols were displayed on the starboard nose below the cockpit canopy and XX885 was credited with the destruction of an Iraqi Antonov AN-12 Cub transport on the ground.

In 2000, following disposal from the RAF XX885 was purchased by Hawker Hunter Aviation (HHA) for use in high speed Aerial Threat Simulation, Mission Support Training and Trials Support Services to the UK Armed Forces and Defence Contractors.