Operation Black Buck

Overview

Operations Black Buck 1 to Black Buck 7 were seven extremely long-range airstrikes conducted during the 1982 Falklands War by Royal Air Force (RAF) Vulcan bombers of the RAF Waddington Wing, comprising aircraft from Nos. 44, 50 and 101 Squadrons, against Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands. Five of the missions completed attacks. The objective of the missions was to attack Port Stanley Airport and its associated defences. The raids, at almost 6,600 nautical miles and 16 hours for the round trip, were the longest-ranged bombing raids in history at that time.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Operation Black Buck comprised seven long-range bombing raids by RAF Vulcan bombers targeting Port Stanley Airport and its associated defences during the Falklands War. Five of the seven missions completed their attacks. The operations were conducted at almost 6,600 nautical miles round-trip with flights lasting approximately 16 hours, making them the longest-ranged bombing raids in history at that time. The campaign demonstrated the RAF's capacity to project strike power at extreme range in support of British efforts to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentine forces.