Blackburn Buccaneer

blackburn buccaneer xx897 at shannon aviation museum

Our Blackburn Buccaneer XX 897

Its’ Early Years

Built in March 1976 by BAe in East Yorkshire, it was the 5th last Buccaneer off the production line at the factory. It flew to RRS in Pershore on the 21st April 1976, where it would be based. 

Fighting in Wars

XX 897 fought in the Gulf War during January and February 1991. 

Why it is Special and Unique

Our Buccaneer was chosen back in 1976 to have an experimental Marconi AI.24 Foxhunt Radar installed in its nose, like the Air Defence Variant of the Tornado. 

museum tours at shannon aviation museum

Interesting Facts about our Blackburn Buccaneer

  • It had a top speed of 1,074km/h.
  • There were 211 Blackburn Buccaneers built between 1958 and 1976, ours being one of the newest. 
  • It has a total wingspan of 44 feet and a total length of 63.5 feet, with its’ highest point being 16.3 feet tall!
  • All Buccaneers were manufactured by Hawker Siddely and Blackburn Aircraft Limited to be used in the Royal Navy. 
  • It had a surface ceiling of 40,000 feet. 

The Arrival of XX 897 to Shannon Aviation Museum

In August 2012, our Blackburn Buccaneer, registered XX 897 arrived from Bournmouth in the United Kingdom. 

After arriving in Shannon after a long days travelling, she was craned into the yard by a 100 tonne crane, not something you see everyday!

Watch the video to see the full process on how XX 897 got to her final home in Shannon, 10  years ago…

Airbrake System on XX 897

Watch the video showing the airbrake system on our Blackburn Buccaneer XX 897 coming into action. 

Airbrakes help slow the plane upon landing, and is especially valuable when landing on short runways such as aircraft carriers. 

Wings on our Buccaneer

You can enjoy watching this video showing our Buccaneer and its wings in motion taken in April 2017. 

Blackburn Buccaneer Gallery