For the May HistoryFare monthly talk, we welcome guest speaker Chris Finn.
Chris served in the RAF for 33 years as a navigator, primarily on the Buccaneer, and was a weapons and tactics specialist. As a Wing Commander he was the UK’s LGB specialist in AHQ Riyadh during Operation GRANBY. His final flying tour was as OC the Navigator & Airman Aircrew School. A graduate of the Joint Services’ Defence College, in 2000 he gained an MPhil in International Relations from Cambridge University. His last 5 years in the RAF were spent at Shrivenham, firstly on the Directing Staff of the Advanced Command and Staff Course and then, on promotion to Group Captain, as the RAF’s Director of Defence Studies.
Chris with just two weeks seniority as a Wing Commander tells the story of when he was detached from HQ 18 Gp to the RAF AHQ in Riyadh as SO1 Buccaneers, and the UK’s LGB specialist in the Coalition HQ.
The Buccaneer was nearing the end of its operational life when the Maritime Buccaneer Wing was suddenly and unexpectedly tasked with providing laser designation, from high level, for the RAF Tornado Force involved in Op GRANBY.
He tells the story of the Buccaneer’s 26-day involvement in the Desert Storm air campaign from the perspective of one of just two RAF Wg Cdrs who worked in the “Black Hole” as part of the USAF-led campaign planning team. The talk is illustrated with “warts and all” videos from the Buccaneer Pavespike laser designation pods.