In the late 1950s the Soviet Union started the development of the Sverdlov-class cruisers that would put the Royal Navy at serious risk.

The Naval Air Warfare Division[4] decided to counter this threat with a strike aircraft which would fly at very high speed at very low level.

The first version of the Buccaneer, the S.1 powered by the de Havilland Gyron Junior, was underpowered in certain scenarios, although not in maximum speed, and the engine was unreliable.

A Spey derivative, designed and developed jointly by Rolls-Royce and Allison for the LTV A-7 Corsair II, was produced under licence in the United States as the TF41.

Compared to the original turbojets, the afterburning turbofans produced a ten and fifteen per cent improvement in combat radius and ferry range, respectively, and improved take-off, initial climb, and acceleration, but at the cost of a reduction in top speed because compressor outlet temperatures would be exceeded in an essentially subsonic civil design.

Its relatively low maintenance costs provide one of the major reasons it remained in service even when newer designs were available.