The 1970s - 208 Becomes a Home Based Squadron

Thankfully, the Squadron Standard was required again for, in 1974, it was announced that 208 Squadron was to reform with Buccaneer aircraft as the Royal Navy began to lose its fixed-wing capability (the Buccaneer being, of course, originally built to a Royal Navy requirement). The Squadron's new home was to be RAF Honington in Suffolk and, for the first time in its history, its aircrew complement was to include navigators as well as pilots (although observers had been used in its Army cooperation days). As part of No 1 Group of Strike Command, 208 was to serve in the overland strike role as part of Britain's NATO commitment. Wing Commander Peter Rogers re-established 208's reputation for winning by securing the Gilroy Trophy in 1976 as the Squadron built up to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in October. Again, Sir Geoffrey Bromet was the Reviewing Officer, and one of the first ever aircraft of Naval Eight (a Sopwith Pup, N5182) was brought to the gathering.

In 1977, 208 was selected to be the first British Squadron to take part in the United States Air Force's Exercise Red Flag, a permanent exercise scenario covering a thousand square miles of the Nevada Desert, centred on Nellis Air Force Base. Such was 208's performance that the Aggressor Squadrons scored only one 'kill' in the 2 weeks of the detachment. One USAF pilot was overheard to say: 'if we can't see 'em, we can't kill 'em and they're flying at 50 feet flat out. The Squadron turned in a similar performance a year later in 1978. Canada held Exercise Maple Flag in 1978, a similar concept to that of Red Flag, but over the flat frozen wastes of Alberta. It was a huge area and as flat as a billiard table, the perfect place to be caught. However, when the Canadian F15 Eagle pilots were asked how they found the Buccaneers on their magic state-of-the-art radar, they replied: 'It's simple: if it flies lower than anyone else and faster than anyone else, then it's a Buccaneer.'