A more powerful Spey creates a supersonic Buccaneer path

What if the Buccaneer S.1 had 11,000-pound-thrust Speys and the S.2 received 16,900-pound-thrust Speys?

A suitably redesigned Buccaneer could become a supersonic strike aircraft and perhaps an interceptor, but its fighter suitability and service safety remain important limits.

The proposal gives the Buccaneer S.1 Spey engines with 11,000 pounds of thrust and the later S.2 a 16,900-pound version. Supersonic flight still depends on redesigning the aircraft, and there is disagreement over whether the early design incorporates enough knowledge of transonic flight. The Lightning's development and the Buccaneer's later first flight and service entry provide the counterargument that there was time to make the changes. With the redesign assumed, the Fleet Air Arm gains a supersonic strike aircraft and a possible starting point for an interceptor. A fighter version would need further changes, including consideration of a gun, and would be better suited to intercepting Soviet bombers than fighting other fighters. A domestic aircraft able to perform both roles could create political pressure to buy it instead of Phantom. The benefit also depends on retaining the actual Buccaneer's service safety.