Operation Black Buck

During the Falklands War, Operations Black Buck 1 to Black Buck 6 were a series of six extremely long-range bombing attacks by British Vulcan bombers on Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands.

The missions flew from the British air base on Ascension Island starting on the night of 30 April, 1982. Victor tankers provided multiple refuelings. Each aircraft carried more than twenty-one 1,000 pound bombs or a number of anti-radar missiles.

At the time, these six raids were the longest combat flights in history. The results were more psychological than physical, as the Argentines were quickly able to repair damage to the radars and the Port Stanley runway. The raids prompted the Argentines to keep their best aircraft on the mainland to protect against possible raids on Argentine cities.