Blackburn Buccaneer - Survivor XX885 (G-HHAA)
S.2B XX885 - Hawker Hunter Aviation Ltd. (stored), RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire
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Buccaneer S.2B XX885 at Scampton, 5th April 2025; Jake Wallace
XX885 is the only complete Buccaneer still wearing the wrap-around grey colours which were applied when she arrived back from the Gulf War in 1991.
The airframe was delivered to the RAF on May 20th 1974 and went on to serve with 15 and 16 Sqn based at Laarbruch in Germany, before being transferred to 12Sqn at Lossiemouth, and stayed here until 1980. Due to the incident of Buccaneer XV345 during Operation Red Flag, the fleet was temporarily grounded. When investigations showed that the main spar in XV345 had failed, like many others, XX885 was flown to St Athan for a main spar replacement and then returned to 12 Sqn. She also went on to serve with 208 Sqn and 237 OCU at Lossiemouth. In January 1991, she was prepared for the Gulf War, being painted in overall Alkali Removable Temporary Finish (ARTF), more commonly known as 'desert pink'. XX885 was given the tail code 'L', named 'Famous Grouse', and given the nose art - 'Caroline, Hello Sailor'. During the Gulf, she earned 7 mission symbols, of which one included the AN-12 symbol. The AN-12 symbol actually belongs to Buccaneer XX894 from when she bombed an AN-12. XX885 was on the same mission and after landing had parked in XX894's spot, resulting in XX885 receiving the AN-12 and getting all the credit. XX885 has the latest modifications out of the entire fleet due to being the last Buccaneer to go through Woodford in 1989, and she then received further modifications for the Gulf War.
XX885 retired in 1994 to Lossiemouth where she was to become a maintenance airframe. Although she was given the number 9225M, she was never used for instructional uses but was instead put in storage on-site undercover. In 2000, the RAF put XX885 up for disposal with Hawker Hunter Aviation (HHA) purchasing her at an auction in March of that year. The airframe was moved to HHA's facility at RAF Scampton with a small vision of possibly getting it airworthy again. She's complete, has almost always been undercover, never dismantled, and has no corrosion. Nearly 3000 hours of analysis work went into her which included, a complete IRAN (Inspect & Repair as Necessary) was concluded by HHA engineers in 2003 on the entire airframe and all subsystems. Custodial maintenance and ground runs were once carried out on a very regular basis as per the maintenance schedules. Airframe and engine hours were good, the AP library was complete, they have acquired and overhauled a complete set of Bucc GSE also acquired, inspected, catalogued, overhauled, and stored a considerable number of Buccaneer spares amongst which was the entire Bucc spares pack from RAE Bedford, an organisation which like HHA operated a single Buccaneer away from normal squadron support. These stores include 2 spare engines. She was then classified in the BCAR A8-20 'Complex' category for civilian use, and so gained the serial G-HHAA.
But sadly, all this effort of potentially getting a Buccaneer back into the skies of the UK all came to a halt some 10-15 years ago as there was no interest from the MoD and HHA in getting a Buccaneer flying anymore. For the past 10-15 years, XX885 has spent most of its time sitting still in the corner of one of HHA's hangars at Scampton. Although many like to believe this is an airworthy Buccaneer, now in 2025, XX885 is far from that condition, with no engine runs, hydraulic exercise, or regular maintenance in over a decade.
In 2023, with RAF Scampton closing Hawker Hunter Aviation relocated their activities to RAF Leeming, leaving the non-airworthy aircraft on-site. In the hope that Scampton might see flying aircraft again under private ownership, the aircraft was pushed into a nearby field at the end of one of the runways where they were shrink-wrapped, safely stored, and secured.
Over the last year or so, the shrink wrap has either been torn by the wind or partly removed by the HHA team, and the compound has recently been broken into by Urban Explorers, who also entered some of the cockpits without permission which is currently under investigation by HHA.
Although the aircraft and compound can be viewed by nearby roads, the compound and land they sit on are private. At the time of writing, it is unknown what the future holds for the aircraft.
The airframe was delivered to the RAF on May 20th 1974 and went on to serve with 15 and 16 Sqn based at Laarbruch in Germany, before being transferred to 12Sqn at Lossiemouth, and stayed here until 1980. Due to the incident of Buccaneer XV345 during Operation Red Flag, the fleet was temporarily grounded. When investigations showed that the main spar in XV345 had failed, like many others, XX885 was flown to St Athan for a main spar replacement and then returned to 12 Sqn. She also went on to serve with 208 Sqn and 237 OCU at Lossiemouth. In January 1991, she was prepared for the Gulf War, being painted in overall Alkali Removable Temporary Finish (ARTF), more commonly known as 'desert pink'. XX885 was given the tail code 'L', named 'Famous Grouse', and given the nose art - 'Caroline, Hello Sailor'. During the Gulf, she earned 7 mission symbols, of which one included the AN-12 symbol. The AN-12 symbol actually belongs to Buccaneer XX894 from when she bombed an AN-12. XX885 was on the same mission and after landing had parked in XX894's spot, resulting in XX885 receiving the AN-12 and getting all the credit. XX885 has the latest modifications out of the entire fleet due to being the last Buccaneer to go through Woodford in 1989, and she then received further modifications for the Gulf War.
XX885 retired in 1994 to Lossiemouth where she was to become a maintenance airframe. Although she was given the number 9225M, she was never used for instructional uses but was instead put in storage on-site undercover. In 2000, the RAF put XX885 up for disposal with Hawker Hunter Aviation (HHA) purchasing her at an auction in March of that year. The airframe was moved to HHA's facility at RAF Scampton with a small vision of possibly getting it airworthy again. She's complete, has almost always been undercover, never dismantled, and has no corrosion. Nearly 3000 hours of analysis work went into her which included, a complete IRAN (Inspect & Repair as Necessary) was concluded by HHA engineers in 2003 on the entire airframe and all subsystems. Custodial maintenance and ground runs were once carried out on a very regular basis as per the maintenance schedules. Airframe and engine hours were good, the AP library was complete, they have acquired and overhauled a complete set of Bucc GSE also acquired, inspected, catalogued, overhauled, and stored a considerable number of Buccaneer spares amongst which was the entire Bucc spares pack from RAE Bedford, an organisation which like HHA operated a single Buccaneer away from normal squadron support. These stores include 2 spare engines. She was then classified in the BCAR A8-20 'Complex' category for civilian use, and so gained the serial G-HHAA.
But sadly, all this effort of potentially getting a Buccaneer back into the skies of the UK all came to a halt some 10-15 years ago as there was no interest from the MoD and HHA in getting a Buccaneer flying anymore. For the past 10-15 years, XX885 has spent most of its time sitting still in the corner of one of HHA's hangars at Scampton. Although many like to believe this is an airworthy Buccaneer, now in 2025, XX885 is far from that condition, with no engine runs, hydraulic exercise, or regular maintenance in over a decade.
In 2023, with RAF Scampton closing Hawker Hunter Aviation relocated their activities to RAF Leeming, leaving the non-airworthy aircraft on-site. In the hope that Scampton might see flying aircraft again under private ownership, the aircraft was pushed into a nearby field at the end of one of the runways where they were shrink-wrapped, safely stored, and secured.
Over the last year or so, the shrink wrap has either been torn by the wind or partly removed by the HHA team, and the compound has recently been broken into by Urban Explorers, who also entered some of the cockpits without permission which is currently under investigation by HHA.
Although the aircraft and compound can be viewed by nearby roads, the compound and land they sit on are private. At the time of writing, it is unknown what the future holds for the aircraft.
Information on this page current as of 06/04/2025, last updated by Jake |
Find other photos of XX885 on the following sites:
Air-Britain - Airliners.net - Airplane-Pictures.net - flickr.com - WorldAirPics.com - JetPhotos.net - PlanePictures.net