The RAF eventually used Fleet Air Arm Buccaneers as a capable substitute after the F-111 plan disappeared. Earlier RAF participation in the Buccaneer programme could have aligned the services' interests. A shared aircraft fleet would have made the end of Royal Navy fixed-wing aviation raise operating costs for the RAF as well. The moment shows how procurement choices can shape whether services defend or undermine one another's supporting infrastructure.
Notable Point · 1:43:44-1:44:28
The Buccaneer and inter-service procurement incentives
The Blackburn Buccaneer's transfer to the RAF shows how earlier joint procurement might have changed institutional support for carrier aviation.