<p>c/n B3-14-67.
Built 1968 for the Royal Navy. Transferred to the Royal Air Force in January 1980. Retired in 1994. Joined the IWM collection in 1997.
On display in Hangar 3 at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire, UK.
26th January 2018.
</p><p>The following service history for XV865 comes from the IWM website:-
</p><p>“In RN service known as Buccaneer S2D, in RAF service known as Buccaneer S2B.
Assignments in service October 1975 -HMS Ark Royal 14 July 1976 - RAF Honington 4 September 1976 - HMS Ark Royal 18 October 1976 - RAF Honington July 1977 - respray No.5 MU September 1977 - RAF Honington 10 October 1977 - HMS Ark Royal 13 December 1977 - RAF Honington 7 April 1978 - HMS Ark Royal 27 November 1978 - RAF St Athan on transfer to the RAF 28 January 1980 - No.216 Sqn RAF Honington 4 July 1980 -No.216 amalgamated with No.12 Sqn and moved to RAF Lossiemouth 1 Aug 1980 - No.208 Sqn RAF Honington 18 July 1983 - No.208 Sqn moved to RAF Lossiemouth 8 March 1985 - St Athan 17 July 1985 to July 1986 - with Squadron Nos.208,12 (28/5/86),and 237 OCU (3/6/86) at Lossiemouth 17 July 1986 - BAe Woodford for Avionic update January 1987 - BAe Woodford, Buccaneer update programme 20 May 1987 - Station Flight RAF Lossiemouth 17 November 1987 - No.208 Sqn RAF Lossiemouth 26 January 1994 - last flight to RAF Coningsby.
</p>
The final flight of this Buccaneer may well have prevented its destruction. The RAF had assigned the aircraft to the fire dump at RAF Marham, in order to provide training material for RAF firefighting crews. During the transit flight from RAF Lossiemouth to Marham, it suffered a bird strike on the port wing leading edge - a dent that is still visible. The crew diverted to the nearest suitable airfield - RAF Coningsby. All the documentation had been completed to confirm the most recent flight was the final one of the aircraft - so a subsequent flight was not permissible. The aircraft languished at Coningsby until the Ministry of Defence Disposal Agency sold it to IWM. The transit of the aircraft was undertaken by road, after the wings were removed in preparation.”
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/65001151@N03">Alan Wilson</a> from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/28324856899/">Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B ‘XV865 / 865’</a>