XW544 was delivered to the Royal Air Force in 1972 and entered service with 15 Squadron at RAF Laarbruch. The airframe was later moved to 16 Squadron in 1979, before returning to 15 Squadron in 1982.
XW544 spent many hours in the hangars due to fuel leaks, and after a decade of flying, was withdrawn from service on the 4th July 1983 into RAF Shawbury with 2227:10 hours of flight logged. The aircraft was then placed into storage, where the engines had been removed to help support the rest of the fleet, whilst unserviceable engines were put in their place.
In 1984, XW544 was selected to become a grounds training aircraft at the No.2 School of Technical Training (SoTT) at RAF Cosford, and gained the maintenance number 8857M. During its time at the SoTT, the aircraft’s dark green paintwork was touched up, with 16 Squadron markings being applied. The aircraft also obtained a refueling probe during this time, which it never flew or retired with. XW544 was frequently on static display at the RAF Cosford airshow during the 1990s alongside Buccaneer XW547 (now at the RAF Museum London).
As the Buccaneers approached retirement in 1994, the RAF no longer had a use for XW544 at the SoTT, and sold it to Rob Goldstone, who transported the airframe to a storage yard just south of RAF Shawbury as a temporary home. However, years went by with the aircraft quietly sitting in the corner of the yard on its belly, draped in tarpaulin, awaiting its next chapter.
By mid 2004, XW544 was acquired by Dave Webber, Andy Webber, and George Palmer, who moved it by road to Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicester, where it joined Buccaneers XX894 and XX900, making it the third aircraft of the type on site.
Although very much an ambition, there were plans to restore the aircraft back to running condition.
After several years of lots of effort, knowledge, and enthusiasm, XW544 saw its first engine run since retirement in May 2008. Later in the year, the aircraft moved under its own power, going for a small trundle around one of Bruntingthorpe’s taxiways. This was a huge step made in its restoration, but more work was still required.
By 2011, XW544 saw its first public taxi run in May 2011 as a three-ship with XX894 and XX900, which made it the first time three Buccaneers ran together in the UK since 1994.
After the success of XW544’s first public run, the team got underway over the winter of 2011 to give the aircraft a much-needed repaint. In early 2012, The Buccaneer Aviation Group held a roll-out event for XW544, celebrating the huge restoration efforts of the project. The event saw all three Buccaneers performing taxi runs along Bruntingthorpe’s runway. The names of those who played an integral part in the project were applied to the aircraft’s nose wheel door.
Since the aircraft restoration, XW544 has proved to be a very reliable aircraft, performing at almost every event TBAG has held or been invited to, and continues to perform flawlessly today.
In 2020, Bruntingthorpe’s days of seeing vintage Cold War jets taxi down the 2-mile-long runway sadly came to an end. After much discussion, The Buccaneer Aviation Group elected to move both XX894 and XW544 to Cotswold Airport (formerly RAF Kemble) as this prospering location would continue to keep both aircraft living and breathing.
After an amazing 16-year journey at Bruntingthorpe, on 20th August 2020, XW544 left the aerodrome for Cotswold Airport with XX894 following behind. The next day, both aircraft touch down (by low loaders) at Kemble to start their next chapter of preservation.
Maintenance work kicked off straight away, with many jobs to sort after the aircraft had been untouched for several months due to COVID-19. XW544 soon got back up and running in a matter of months and was soon stretching its legs again.
In 2023, XW544 saw the start of an external restoration. This saw the paintwork stripped back far in order to give a nice base to work on after many previous repaints.
By 2025, the aircraft was sprayed in its new colours with a Light Aircraft Grey underside. Unfortunately, due to poor paint adherence, as of 2026, this project has been paused and is awaiting rectification, hence the current lack of markings. Follow us on our social media pages for updates, or if you’d like further updates, why not join TBAG today and become a member by clicking here!
