Buccaneer 1981 - 1984 (7)
The aircraft fit was LGBs, Pavespike pods, an ECM Pod and AIM 9 Air to Air missiles. Each Buccaneer also carried 4 x 1,000lb Retard bombs in the bomb bay. The Likely Action Number 2 requirement was to retaliate if BritForLeb came under fire. It was likely that the first notification of an attack would be a call to the Ops Centre at Episcopi, either from the FAC on the HF net, or from ComBritForLeb in a flash signal. The Centre then had to relay all the information to the Buccaneer detachment at Akrotiri
whilst scrambling them to get them airborne fast. BUT - What were the Buccaneers going to “hit” and how were they going to “hit” it?
Turning first to the How?
LGBs: Accuracy demanded Laser Guided Bombs. But the targets would most likely be small mobile artillery positions out of line of sight of the FAC on roof tops in the block of flats. Thus, Ground based laser designation was out of the question - airborne designation would be needed. The Buccaneer crews would operate in pairs - one crew would designate the target with the laser while the second crew manoeuvred to drop a bomb on the point designated by the laser.
But the standard maritime toss tactic for dropping laser guided bombs was a low level tactic. It was obvious that acquiring and designating small targets within an urban area from low level would prove extremely difficult if not impossible. This difficulty rendered the low level maritime tactic unattractive if not unusable. It was not a practical tactic overland against small targets, like artillery or armour. For easier acquisition of the target, more height was needed. A steeper but higher dive delivery would afford the designator extra time to search for the target. Such an approach would need good weather and a benign air defence environment. Well, the weather at that time of year was good enough. Furthermore, the air defences consisted only of SAM 7 and small arms. In view of all these factors, the preferred tactic was for a 40-degree dive delivery from 11,000 feet releasing at 7,000 feet. But the Buccaneer was not cleared to release LGBs in a 40-degree dive.
I called for a weapons specialist from the Central Trials and Tactics Organisation (CTTO) to come to Cyprus and conduct a small trial with six Paveway LGB kits. Also, for Episcopi Range to be fitted with an expendable hessian covered frame target for a high level, dive-bombing event. The CTTO weapons specialist arrived, and the trial was eminently successful proving that the 40-degree dive profile was feasible. This profile then became the preferred option so long as the weather held and the Syrians did not encroach too far into Lebanon with a more capable
