AIM-9 on RN Buccs

[Navaleye]

Did they every carry an defensive armament say on long range unescorted sorties?

[Schiller]

We certainly had the ability to carry Sidewinder (don't know which mark, sorry) during the late sixties on the S2. However, before that we "borrowed" Sidewinders from our tanker Scimitars and flew with them on our S1's in 800 Squadron during the confrontation over Borneo in the earlier 60's. This was wholly unauthorised and I don't think it ever had an official Release to Service, but we felt happier facing a potential enemy with them. The launching rails had to be filed to fit, I seem to remember.

[engineer(retard)]

I have a vague recollection of AIM-9B being on the aircraft in my early days of working on it and was involved in some 9L trials quite late on.

regards

Retard

[pr00ne]

I am sure I recall some FAA wags making up a mock AIM-9 from cans and bits and bobs, painting it white and hanging it off a Bucc as the carrier passed through the Suez Canal to fool the watching Russians!

I am pretty sure it was never fitted during FAA service and only fitted to the RAF Buccs in the early 80's.

[BEagle]

Yes, that's a tale I'd heard as well.

But didn't the Sovs later get their own back with a couple of spoof Atolls on a submarine conning tower when they transited the Straits of Gibraltar on the surface a decade or so later?

"SW OFF, volume zero" or something like that was in the Bucc pre-flight checks in the late 70s - but I'm sure they were only fitted years later?

Dammit - agreed with pr00ne again! :p