Buccaneer

Hi,

I’d like to discuss the Buccaneer (or Bucc) if you don’t mind. We’ve seen a few people (including me) saying that upgrading older strike a/c like the F-111 could be a good idea.
What about an upgraded Bucc. This can’t be done anymore obviously, because all Buccs have been retired. But what if the RAF had decided (in the early ’90s) to retain their Buccs and upgrade them. Would they have been useful nowadays (i.e. compared to Tornado)? And how would this upgrade have looked like?
I think it could have been useful today. It has a longer range and can carry more weapons than the Tornado. With a new nav/attack system and the newest weapons it could be a great asset. Any opinions????

Best regards,

Ference.

P.S. Why wasn’t the Bucc a big success on the international market (south Africa as only customer!)? I think it fitted nicely in the niche between short range attackers like Jaguar and very long range strike a/c like the F-111. Surely it was a useful a/c.