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The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by merging the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). [6]
- List of Aircraft of The RAF
Many aircraft types have served in the British Royal Air...
- History of The Royal Air Force
The history of the Royal Air Force, the air force of the...
- Richard Knighton
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard John Knighton, KCB, ADC, FREng...
- Royal Naval Air Service
Personnel of No 1 Squadron RNAS in late 1914. The Royal...
- List of Royal Air Force Aircraft Independent Flights
This is a list of Royal Air Force independent Flights. An...
- Harvey Smyth
Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, CB, OBE, DFC is a senior Northern...
- RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Marham, commonly abbreviated RAF Marham...
- Royal Air Force Ensign
Design. A sky blue field with the Union Flag in the canton...
- List of Aircraft of The RAF
Many aircraft types have served in the British Royal Air Force since its formation in April 1918 from the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. This is a list of RAF aircraft , including all currently active and retired types listed in alphabetic order by their RAF type name.
ManufacturerTypeOriginClassSopwithUKPropellerLockheed MartinUSAJetFaireyIII C, D & F [1]UKPropellerBristolUKPropellerPeople also ask
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Nov 20, 2023 · British Army. Royal Navy. This is a gallery page containing specially selected image and media files. They have been chosen as highlights of a particular topic, but do not represent the full range of files that are available on Commons. For a wider selection of files connected with Royal Air Force, see Category:Royal Air Force . Categories:
This is a list of military aircraft currently in service with the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom . Royal Air Force. RAF Red Arrows. RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Army Air Corps. Fleet Air Arm. Ministry of Defence.
TypeOriginClassRoleUnited KingdomJetUnited States [8]JetStealth Multi-roleUnited StatesJetAW&CUnited StatesPropeller- Formation and The Inter-War Years
- World War II
- 1948 Arab–Israeli War
- Cold War
- 1990–2000
- 2001–Present
- Number of Personnel
- See Also
- Sources and Further Reading
- External Links
Formation
While the British were not the first to make use of heavier-than-air military aircraft, the RAF is the world's oldest independent air force: the first air force to become independent of army or navy control. The RAF was founded on 1 April 1918 by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service and was controlled by the British Government Air Ministry which had been established three months earlier. The Royal Flying Corps had been born out of the Air Battalion of the...
Policing the Empire
The RAF took up the task of policing the British Empire from the air. It was argued that the use of air power would prove to be a more cost-effective way of controlling large areas than by using conventional land forces. Sir Hugh Trenchard, the Chief of the Air Staff, had formulated ideas about the use of aircraft in colonial policing and these were first put into practice in 1920 when the RAF and imperial ground units defeated rebel Somaliland dervishes. The following year, in 1921, the RAF...
Activities in Great Britain
It was during the inter-war years that the RAF had to fight for its survival – some questioned the need for a separate air force, especially in peacetime. To prevent itself being disbanded and its duties returned to the Army and the Navy, the RAF spent considerable energies keeping itself in the public eye by such things as the annual Hendon Air Show, supporting a team for the Schneider Trophy air racing competition, and by producing documentary films. In 1936, a reorganisation of RAF command...
The RAF underwent rapid expansion following the outbreak of war against Nazi Germany in 1939. This included the training of British aircrews in British Commonwealth countries under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, and the secondment of many whole squadrons, and tens of thousands of individual personnel, from Commonwealth air forces. For ...
Following the end of the British Mandate of Palestine, the State of Israel was founded on 14 May 1948. Egyptian forces crossed into Israeli territory as part of a wider Arab League military coalition, with the Royal Egyptian Air Force providing light bombers as well as Spitfires. On 22 May, the Egyptians attacked RAF Ramat David, believing the base...
After victory in World War II, the RAF was to be further re-organized, as technological advances in air warfare saw the arrival of jet fighters and bombers. The first significant Cold War action of the RAF was its support to the Berlin Airliftin 1948 and 1949 which was originally designated Operation Knicker and Operation Carter-Paterson and later ...
Gulf War
During the build-up to the Gulf War, RAF fighters were based in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. On 17 January 1991, the main air campaign began and over 100 RAF aircraft took part in virtually every conceivable role. It marked an important turning point in the RAF's history as it was the first time the service had used precision-guided munitions in significant amounts. In the years following the end of the war, the RAF were involved in operations to enforce the no-fly zones over Iraq and the Service...
Balkans
In 1993, RAF Tornado F3s and AWACS aircraft contributed to Operation Deny Flight, NATO's operation to restrict airspace movements over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The operation continued until late 1995. The Kosovo War in 1999 saw the RAF fight over Europe for the first time since World War II. During the bombing of Yugoslavia, the RAF operated the Harrier GR7 and Tornadoground attack jets as well as an array of support aircraft.
"War on Terror"
As part of the British contribution (codenamed Operation Veritas) to the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan at the start of the War in Afghanistan, the RAF provided support to the United States by operating air-to-air refuelling tankers and reconnaissance aircraft as well as proving the use of its bases. Chinook helicopters have provided airlift support to coalition forces. In late 2004, as part of Operation Herrick, RAF Harriers were based at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, operating in the clos...
Libyan civil war
In 2011 the RAF played a significant role in the NATO intervention in Libya. The British participation was codenamed Operation Ellamy and the RAF contribution involved the deployment of Typhoon multirole fighters, Tornado GR4 interdictor/strike aircraft, Sentry AEW.1 AWACS aircraft, a Nimrod R1 signals intelligence aircraft,[Note 1] a Sentinel R1 airborne standoff radar aircraft, VC10 air-to-air refuelling tankers and TriStarair-to-air refuelling tankers.
Other operations and activities
In 2004, four RAF Panavia Tornado F.3s deployed to the Baltic States for three months to provide the British contribution to the NATO-led Baltic Air Policing operation and in 2005 support and transport aircraft were dispatched to South East Asia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquakedisaster in order to provide aid relief support. The RAF's 90th anniversary was commemorated on 1 April 2008 by a flypast of 9 Red Arrows and 4 Typhoons along the Thames, in a straight line from just south of...
Following the end of World War I, the RAF was greatly reduced in size and only rebuilt in significant number in the years immediately preceding World War II. At its peak during World War II, there were over one million RAF servicemen. Following the demobilisation after World War II, the RAF has steadily declined in numbers.
Royal Air Force Museum London and Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, museums dedicated to the history of aviation, and the Royal Air Force in particular.Bowyer, Chaz (1988). RAF Operations 1918–1938. London: William Kimber. ISBN 0-7183-0671-6.Finn, C. J. et al. (2004). Air Publication 3003 - A Brief History of the Royal Air Force.HMSOFlintham, Vic (2009). High Stakes - Britain's Air Arms in Action 1945-1990 Pen and Sword ISBN 978 1 84415 815 7Chant, Christopher (1993). The History of the RAF. Regency House Publishing. ISBN 1-85361-126-3Royal Engineers Museum Archived 18 January 2007 at the Wayback MachineEarly British Military Ballooning (1863)5 days ago · Royal Air Force (RAF), youngest of the three British armed services, charged with the air defense of the United Kingdom and the fulfillment of international defense commitments. It is the world’s oldest independent air force .
Design. A sky blue field with the Union Flag in the canton and the RAF Roundel in the fly. The Royal Air Force Ensign is the official flag which is used to represent the Royal Air Force. The ensign has a field of air force blue with the United Kingdom's flag in the canton and the Royal Air Force's roundel in the middle of the fly .
