What made the Blackburn Buccaneer a better Royal Navy option than contemporary American or French bombers?
Short answerIt was British-built and tailored for very low-level, precise anti-surface strikes below enemy radar and air defences.
NotesThe Buccaneer's British origin and specific mission made it more than another fast strike aircraft. It was designed to attack Soviet Sverdlov-class cruisers by flying very low, avoiding radar coverage, striking accurately, and escaping. Its two-seat arrangement also gave observers an important role in Royal Navy strike squadrons. Low, subsonic penetration exploited a threat profile that defences optimized for fast, high targets were less prepared to solve.