After the end of their Royal Navy carrier service, Buccaneers passed to the RAF and received modernization. During the Gulf War they supported Tornados with laser designation. Recollections of allied radar crews repeatedly losing Buccaneers in ground clutter illustrate the value of low flight despite the aircraft's lack of a stealth-shaped airframe. Other anecdotes concern aircraft returning with engine damage from rifle fire because they were flying so low. The sheep-strike anecdote is distinguished from Gulf War operations and placed in training in northern England.
Notable Point · 3:38:42-3:41:16
The Buccaneer's RAF and Gulf War service
RAF Buccaneers supported Tornados with laser designation while retaining the low-level tactics that made them difficult to track.