What rocket did the South African Buccaneers carry?

Short answer

They carried Bristol Siddeley BS.605 rockets, mounted in pairs and retractable, on the South African Air Force's Buccaneer S.50s. They burned hydrogen peroxide and kerosene and gave extra thrust at African "hot and high" airfields. They were eventually removed from all the aircraft.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What rocket did the South African Buccaneers carry?

414 Blackburn Buccaneer S50 South African Air ForceAeroprints.com (CC BY SA), vía commons

Two retractable rockets for Africa

In October 1962 the South African Air Force ordered 16 aircraft under the designation Buccaneer S.50. These were S.2 aircraft fitted with Bristol Siddeley BS.605 rocket motors to provide extra thrust at African "hot and high" airfields. The BS.605s were installed in pairs and were retractable. They ran on hydrogen peroxide and kerosene. The BS.605 produced 4,000 lbf (18 kN) for 30 seconds, with a rated output of 8,000 lbf (35.6 kN).

An extra that ended up unnecessary

The supplementary thrust from the BS.605s proved unnecessary, and the motors were eventually removed from all the aircraft.

The aircraft they were fitted to

The Buccaneer arose from Naval Staff Requirement NA.39, a competition resolved in July 1955. The first flight took place from RAE Bedford on 30 April 1958. The first production Buccaneer S.1 entered squadron service. The type flew with de Havilland Gyron Junior 101 turbojets and with the Rolls-Royce Spey, which provided 40% more thrust. The Buccaneer was retired in March 1994.