Operation Black Buck 1982 by Andrew Bird

Operation Black Buck 1982 by Andrew Bird

‘The definitive account of the Vulcan raids… taught me something new on every page’
- Rowland White, author of the bestselling Vulcan 607

A newly researched, fully illustrated account of how RAF Vulcan bombers flew a series of the world's longest air raids in 1982 against Port Stanley airfield, in a daring, hastily improvised strike against the Argentinian invaders.

The RAF's opening shots of the Falklands War were among the most remarkable airstrikes in history. The idea was simple: to destroy the runway at Port Stanley, and prevent Argentinian fast jets using it against the Royal Navy task force. But the nearest British-owned airfield was Ascension Island — 3,900 miles away from the Falklands.

Researcher and historian Andrew D. Bird has uncovered new detail of what really made these extraordinary raids possible, including never-before-published information and photos demonstrating the discreet support provided by the United States. Packed with spectacular original artwork and rare photos, this book explains how these hugely complex, yet completely improvised raids were launched.

This is also the story of how the last of the Vulcans, only a few months away from the scrapyard, had to be hastily re-equipped to carry conventional bombs, with bombsights, electronics and navigation systems 'borrowed' from other aircraft. Yet they managed to fly what were the longest-range air attacks in history, and struck a severe blow to the occupying Argentinians.

Taking care to examine events from both the British and Argentinian perspectives, ‘Operation Black Buck 1982’ is the definitive account of the Vulcan raids on the FalklandsBrimming with fascinating detail and fresh insights, Andrew Bird’s brilliant book taught me something new on every page. Lavishly illustrated with incredible new artwork from Adam Tooby and a real treasure trove of rare and unseen photographs, this book will be irresistible to anyone with even the slightest interest in the record-breaking missions that captured the world’s attention in 1982. - Rowland White, author of the bestselling Vulcan 607
This is a detailed and compelling account of the remarkable long-distance Vulcan bombing raids on the Falkland Islands during the war of 1982, raids which were on the absolute periphery of what was technically and practically possible at the time. Deploying obsolete 1950s bombers and ‘dumb’ (unguided) bombs only 40 years after their fathers had dropped bombs over the Ruhr (although two attacks did deploy anti-radar missiles), the raids were a testament to the determination and ‘can-do' attitude of the Vulcan and Victor tanker aircrew, technicians and engineers who made the whole extraordinary show possible, as well as the unstinting material, technical and political support provided to the U.K. by the U.S.A. It is an amazing story, brilliantly told. - Dr Robert Lyman FRHistS, author of A War of Empires

Andrew D. Bird is a historian and a writer. The author of several histories on RAF maritime operations including most recently Heroes of Coastal Command, he has also presented and researched for television programmes on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, NRK1, Forces News and Sky History Channel. Andrew served in the RAF Reserves whilst working as an accomplished graphic designer, and as an exhibition designer at RAF Museum London. For more information on Andrew see andrewdbird.com or on Twitter @andydbird

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781472856661
ISBN 10	147285666X
Title	Operation Black Buck 1982
Author	Andrew Bird
Series	Air Campaign
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2023-08-17
Number of pages	96
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.