page_title: No. 208 Squadron RAF
section_title: Flying Buccaneers
hierarchical_section_title: No. 208 Squadron RAF / History / Flying Buccaneers
caption_attribution_description: A parked Royal Air Force Hawker Siddleley Buccaneer S.2B aircraft during the 1981 RAF Strike Command Bombing Competition that was held between the United States and Royal Air Forces.
context_page_description: No 208 Squadron was a reserve unit of the Royal Air Force, most recently based at RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. It operated the BAe Hawk aircraft, as a part of No. 4 Flying Training School. Due to obsolescence of its Hawk T.1 aircraft compared to the new-build Hawk T.2 aircraft of its sister unit, 4 Sqn, the squadron was disbanded in April 2016, in its 100th year of operations.
context_section_description: 208 Squadron re-formed at RAF Honington in 1974 with Blackburn Buccaneer S2s, assigned to SACEUR in a low-level strike role. The squadron's twelve Buccaneers were declared operational to SACEUR from 1975 armed with 24 WE.177 nuclear weapons. The squadron was tasked with supporting land forces resisting an advance by the Warsaw Pact into western Europe, by striking at enemy forces, logistics and infrastructure beyond the forward edge of the battlefield, initially with conventional munitions, and with nuclear weapons in the event of escalation. The allocation of the British-owned WE.177 weapon freed the squadron from the time-consuming burden, at a critical time, of using US-owned nuclear weapons held in US custody at a central location. The squadron continued in this role, based at RAF Honington, until late 1983, when it moved base to RAF Lossiemouth and was reassigned to SACLANT for maritime strike duties. At Lossiemouth it flew alongside No. 12 Squadron RAF with the same role. The squadron's allocation of WE.177 nuclear weapons was reduced to twelve, one per aircraft, although the Buccaneer was able to carry two in its internal bomb bay. The squadron continued in this role until late 1993 when it relinquished its nuclear weapons. The unit was one of the last squadrons to operate the Buccaneer before it went out of service in 1994, and after the type's retirement the squadron again disbanded on 31 March 1994.
  Between 1 October 1991 and November 1992, the Buccaneer Training Flight was formed as part of 208 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth and operated the S.2B variant and some Hawker Hunter T.7's.
caption: A 208 Sqn. RAF Buccaneer S.2B in 1981. Wrap-around camouflage was applied, as it would often be observed manoeuvered at low levels
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