Built as a GR1 build No. 712034 XV784’s first flight was on 1st July 1970, it was delivered as XV784/'D' on 14th August 1970 to RAF No.4 (F) Squadron then based at Wildenrath.  Returned to the manufacturer and modified into a GR.1A and then redelivered to 1 Squadron, then subsequently reallocated to 4 Squadron.

This aircraft was used to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the first overseas operational deployment of a VTOL Aircraft, and in order to commemorate the event a number of first day cover postage stamps were carried.  The sortie was flown by No. 4 Squadron then based at RAF Gutersloh on 25th August 1980.  The flight was an air combat training sortie flown from low level to 24,000 feet at speeds up to 480kts.  Aerobatic manoeuvres and a vertical landing were performed.  The sortie took 34 minutes and was flow by Flight Lieutenant G H Edge.

XV 784 was again returned to the manufacturer and modified into a GR.3 with the tail number changed to XV784/'CD' and delivered to HSF at Gutersloh on the 26th June 1981.  She was reallocated to 233 OCU at Wittering, where on the 2nd April 1986 she was damaged beyond economic repair in a flight line fire.  The tail number was changed to 8909M, and the airframe was extensively spares salvaged the nose section was delivered to DTEO, Boscombe Down where it was crudely patched to be used as a fire training aid at Boscombe Down.

BDAC have removed the crude patching, fitted a representative nose, and refitted the cockpit.  We have also recently fitted an engine simulator to give engine like noises.

BDAC—Old Sarum Airfield Museum