Buccaneer 1981 - 1984 (10)
Much more seriously, on 23 October, the US Marines suffered over 200 casualties when suicide bombers detonated a lorry full of high explosives at the Marine HQ in Beirut. Furthermore, in December, Druze Militia shot down two United States Navy aircraft with modern SAMs over the Chouf Mountains. The US then launched a large air package containing defensive aircraft and 26 attack aircraft against ground targets in The Lebanon. The attack aircraft launched Rockeye from 40-degree dive attacks at 520
knots. This choice of weapons and attack profiles was certainly of some interest to us. By this time, the Buccaneer standby requirements had further relaxed to 2 aircraft and crews at 4 hours readiness. The tactics had been changed to low-level attacks because of the newly demonstrated threat of modern SAMs in the area and the deteriorating weather. On 11 January 84, the readiness state was increased temporarily when the BritForLeb block of flats was hit by tank fire. However, the tension was greatly eased when the local Druze Militia Commander immediately drove out in a Land Rover and apologised in person to ComBritForLeb for the “stray” shell!
After the cease-fire had been
sustained
for several days, the Likely Actions were amended such that only the show of strength and immediate defence options were available. The Buccaneer detachment now engaged in several types [50] of training sorties, such as maritime
attack tactics, Tango Sub maritime [51] 
reconnaissance, airfield attacks, practice bombing and fighter affiliation. In Mid February 1984, the entire British Force Lebanon was brought to Akrotiri [52] and by the beginning of March, the flats in Hadath were completely evacuated. On 24 March, the six [53] Buccaneers and crews departed Cyprus for Sigonella, then Nice,
and eventually arrived home at Lossiemouth [54]. In all, the Deployment had lasted 6½ months and the Buccaneers had flown 733 hours 55 minutes on Pulsator related sorties. As we departed, the GOC Cyprus, Maj Gen Sir Desmond Langley, said: “The Buccaneers provided a vital part of the force required for peacekeeping operations in The Lebanon and the detachment from Lossiemouth has been most professional.”
