The Most Daring Raid? The Royal Air Force, Operation Black Buck and the Falklands War, 1982

David Jordan; John Harris Shields

The Most Daring Raid? The Royal Air Force, Operation Black Buck and the Falklands War, 1982

Defence Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

As part of the joint response to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, the RAF launched Operation Black Buck, a series of remarkable longrange bombing raids against Port Stanley airport. However, claims as to the significance of the raids have varied from denunciation of the attacks as a failure when judged against bombing accuracy to declarations that the sorties ‘changed the outcome of the war’. This article analyses what the raids were for and what they achieved, arguing that attacking Port Stanley airport was a key element of the joint planning for the recapture of the Falklands and that the Black Buck sorties merit consideration as being amongst the Falklands conflict’s ‘most daring raids’.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	86-109
Number of pages	23
Journal	Air and Space Power Review
Volume	21
Issue number	2
Publication status	Published - 2018

Keywords

Air Power
Royal Air Force
Falklands War
Strategy
Strategic Effect
Air Operations

Cite this

@article{bcef018d00bc4a0d82d3b73a83c8f7ca,

title = "The Most Daring Raid? The Royal Air Force, Operation Black Buck and the Falklands War, 1982",

abstract = "As part of the joint response to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, the RAF launched Operation Black Buck, a series of remarkable longrange bombing raids against Port Stanley airport. However, claims as to the significance of the raids have varied from denunciation of the attacks as a failure when judged against bombing accuracy to declarations that the sorties {\textquoteleft}changed the outcome of the war{\textquoteright}. This article analyses what the raids were for and what they achieved, arguing that attacking Port Stanley airport was a key element of the joint planning for the recapture of the Falklands and that the Black Buck sorties merit consideration as being amongst the Falklands conflict{\textquoteright}s {\textquoteleft}most daring raids{\textquoteright}.",

keywords = "Air Power, Royal Air Force, Falklands War, Strategy, Strategic Effect, Air Operations",

author = "David Jordan and Shields, {John Harris}",

year = "2018",

language = "English",

volume = "21",

pages = "86--109",

journal = "Air and Space Power Review",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Most Daring Raid? The Royal Air Force, Operation Black Buck and the Falklands War, 1982

AU - Jordan, David

AU - Shields, John Harris

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - As part of the joint response to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, the RAF launched Operation Black Buck, a series of remarkable longrange bombing raids against Port Stanley airport. However, claims as to the significance of the raids have varied from denunciation of the attacks as a failure when judged against bombing accuracy to declarations that the sorties ‘changed the outcome of the war’. This article analyses what the raids were for and what they achieved, arguing that attacking Port Stanley airport was a key element of the joint planning for the recapture of the Falklands and that the Black Buck sorties merit consideration as being amongst the Falklands conflict’s ‘most daring raids’.

AB - As part of the joint response to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, the RAF launched Operation Black Buck, a series of remarkable longrange bombing raids against Port Stanley airport. However, claims as to the significance of the raids have varied from denunciation of the attacks as a failure when judged against bombing accuracy to declarations that the sorties ‘changed the outcome of the war’. This article analyses what the raids were for and what they achieved, arguing that attacking Port Stanley airport was a key element of the joint planning for the recapture of the Falklands and that the Black Buck sorties merit consideration as being amongst the Falklands conflict’s ‘most daring raids’.

KW - Air Power

KW - Royal Air Force

KW - Falklands War

KW - Strategy

KW - Strategic Effect

KW - Air Operations

UR - https://www.raf.mod.uk/what-we-do/centre-for-air-and-space-power-studies/documents1/air-power-review-vol-21-no-2-raf100-special-edition/

M3 - Article

VL - 21

SP - 86

EP - 109

JO - Air and Space Power Review

JF - Air and Space Power Review

IS - 2

ER -

The Most Daring Raid? The Royal Air Force, Operation Black Buck and the Falklands War, 1982

Abstract

Keywords

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this