Buccaneer Ops photo shoot

Join COAP Wings and The Buccaneer Aviation Group for a specially arranged afternoon and evening 'Ops' shoot featuring brilliantly restored Blackburn Buccaneers at Cotswold Airport on Saturday 7 November 2026. Running from 13:00 until 19:30, the event will progress from autumn daylight through sunset and the blue hour before concluding with fully illuminated night scenes.

Few British military aircraft possess the presence of the Blackburn Buccaneer. Designed during the Cold War to fly fast and exceptionally low, it became one of the most capable strike aircraft operated by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Its broad fuselage, folding wings, rotating bomb bay and purposeful stance make it instantly recognisable—an outstanding subject for aviation photography.

The programme will include an engine run (subject to operational/serviceability/weather caveats), carefully staged operational scenarios and a varied selection of clean aircraft compositions. Re-enactors wearing historically appropriate uniforms and equipment will portray Buccaneer pilots, observers and ground personnel, helping recreate scenes inspired by the aircraft's military career.

The Buccaneer Aviation Group operates two principal aircraft: Buccaneer S.2B XX894 and XW544, both preserved at Cotswold Airport since 2020. XX894 notably destroyed an Antonov An-12 transport during the 1991 Gulf War—the only Buccaneer credited with destroying another aircraft during the conflict. XW544 served with 15 and 16 Squadrons before retirement in 1983.

As daylight fades, COAP lighting will emphasise the Buccaneer's shape, cockpit and operational character. Once darkness falls, the aircraft will become the centre of fully lit night scenes, with re-enactors and illumination recreating an active dispersal or flight line. Dedicated opportunities allow clean aircraft portraits and detailed studies of the Buccaneer's unusual design.