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South Atlantic War 1982: Black Buck 1

Black Buck 1 was the first of several raids by RAF Vulcan bombers against Argentinian targets in the Falklands. The highest priority target was the runway and airport facilities at Port Stanley Airfield - it was essential that this be rendered unusable to high-performance jets before the amphibous landings to liberate the Falkland Islands were undertaken.

Mounted from RAF Waddington in the UK, staging through USAF Wideawake airbase on Ascension Island, the Black Buck 1 raid envisaged a 16 hour round-trip for a single Vulcan bomber, requiring 17 air-to-air refuelings over 15 sorties by 10 Victor K2 tankers. At the time it was the longest range bombing raid ever mounted.