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Historic
Summary of a Centenary
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The
RAF was founded on April 1st, 1918, towards the end of the First
World War by merging the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air
Service. After the war, the RAF was greatly reduced in size and
during the inter-war years was used to "police" the
British Empire. The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and
during the Second World War. During the war it was responsible for
the aerial defence of Great Britain, the strategic bombing campaign
against Germany and tactical support to the British Army around the
world.
During the Cold War, the main role of the RAF was the defence of the
continent of Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union,
including holding the British nuclear deterrent for a number of
years. After the end of the Cold War, the RAF took part in several
large scale operations, including the Gulf War, the Kosovo War, the
War in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War.
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: that is, the first air force to become
independent of army or navy control. |
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Born
on April 1st, 1918 by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and
the Royal Naval Air Service, the new corps 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 Royal Engineers and was under the control of the
British Army. The Royal Naval Air Service was its naval equivalent
and was controlled by the Admiralty. The decision to merge the two
services and create an independent air force was a response to the
events of World War I, the first war in which air power made a
significant impact. The creation of the new force was based on the
Smuts Report prepared by Field Marshal Jan Smuts for the Imperial
War Cabinet on which he served.
To emphasize the merger of both military and naval aviation in the
new service, many of the titles of officers were deliberately chosen
to be of a naval character, such as flight lieutenant, wing
commander, group captain, and air commodore.
The newly created RAF was the most powerful air force in the world
on its creation, with over 20,000 aircraft and over 300,000
personnel (including the Women's Royal Air Force). The squadrons of
the RFC kept their numerals while those of the RNAS were renumbered
from 201 onwards. At the time of the merger, the Navy's air service
had 55,066 officers and men, 2,949 aircraft, 103 airships and 126
coastal stations. The remaining personnel and aircraft came from the
RFC. A memorial to the RAF was commissioned after the war in central
London. The RAF's last known surviving founder member was the World
War I veteran Henry Allingham who died in 2009 aged 113. |
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The
most common RAF planes in 1918: Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Sopwith
F.1 Camel
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Between
the war
Following the end of World War I and the accompanying British
defence cuts, the newly independent (and still temporary) RAF waited
nine months to see if it would be retained by the Cabinet. 6,500
officers, all holding temporary commissions or seconded from the
Army and Navy, applied for permanent commissions. The Cabinet
sanctioned a maximum of 1,500 and the Air Ministry offered 1,065 to
the applicants, publishing the first list on August 1st, 1919, 75%
of them short-term (two to five years). The service as a whole had
been reduced in strength to 35,500.
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 was given responsibility for all British forces in Iraq with
the task of "policing" the tribal unrest. The RAF also saw
service in Afghanistan in 1925, where they were employed
independently for the first time in their history, then again in
1928, when following the outbreak of civil war, the British Legation
and some European diplomatic staff based in Kabul were cut off.
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
reorganization of RAF command saw the creation of Fighter Command,
Bomber Command and Coastal Command.
Naval aviation: The creation of the RAF removed all
aircraft and flying personnel from the Navy, although the Admiralty
remained in control of aircraft carriers. On April 1st, 1924, the
Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force was formed under Air Ministry
control. It consisted of those RAF units that were normally embarked
on aircraft carriers and fighting ships. The Chief of the Air Staff,
Lord Trenchard, his air staff and his successors argued that
"air is one and indivisible" and hence that naval aviation
was properly the responsibility of the RAF. The Admiralty took the
opposite view and, during the first half of the 1920s, pressed hard
for the return of naval aviation to their control. It has been
argued that the British defence arrangements in the inter-war years
had a serious impact upon the doctrinal development of British naval
air power as the Navy lacked experienced naval aviators.
During the 1920s and first half of the 1930s, Government spending on
the RAF was limited and the air staff put a higher priority on
strategic bombing than on naval aviation. The result of this was
that by the late 1930s the Fleet Air Arm was equipped with outdated
aircraft like the Fairey Swordfish (A three-man biplane torpedo
bomber), among others, in limited numbers, as the rival Imperial
Japanese Naval Air Service began using the Nakajima B5N all-metal
low-winged monoplane torpedo bomber from the IJN's aircraft carriers
by 1938 as one example of how the Fleet Air Arm's aviation
technology was literally "being left behind" by one of its
future foes. By 1936, the Admiralty were once again campaigning for
the return of naval aviation to their control. This time they were
successful and on 30 July 1937, the Admiralty took over
responsibility for the administration of the Fleet Air Arm. Under
two years later, on May 24th, 1939, the Fleet Air Arm was returned
to full Admiralty control under the Inskip Award and renamed the Air
Branch of the Royal Navy.
Strategic bombing: The RAF developed its doctrine of strategic
bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and
became the basic philosophy in the Second World War. |
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Hawker
Fury Mk.I 43 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Gloster
Gladiator Mk.I 73 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Bristol
105 Bulldog Mk.IIA 54 Sqn
(Coll Serge Van Heertum) |
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Hawker
Demon Mk.I 64 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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World
War II
The RAF
underwent rapid expansion following the outbreak of war against
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 example, by the end of the war, Royal Canadian Air Force
personnel had contributed more than 30 squadrons to service with RAF
formations; almost a quarter of Bomber Command's personnel were
Canadian. Similarly, about nine percent of the personnel who served
with the RAF in Europe and the Mediterranean were seconded from the
Royal Australian Air Force. To these and other British Commonwealth
personnel were later added thousands of men from other countries,
including many who had fled from German-occupied Europe.
A defining period of the RAF's existence came during the Battle of
Britain. Over the summer of 1940, the RAF held off the Luftwaffe in
perhaps the most prolonged and complicated air campaign in history.
This arguably contributed immensely to the delay and cancellation of
German plans for an invasion of the United Kingdom (Unternehmen
Seelöwe). Of these few hundred RAF fighter pilots, Prime Minister
Winston Churchill famously said in the House of Commons on 20
August, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed
by so many to so few". Although, he first spoke these words
upon exiting the Battle of Britain Bunker at RAF Uxbridge on 16
August. However, in recent years some military historians have
controversially suggested that the RAF's actions would not have
prevented an invasion and that the key deterrent was the Royal
Navy's command of the sea.
The main RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing
campaign against Germany. From May 31st, 1942 RAF Bomber Command was
able to mount large-scale night raids, sometimes involving up to
1.000 aircraft. From mid-1942 increasing numbers of these aircraft
were heavy four-engined bombers such as the Handley-Page Halifax and
the Avro Lancaster. Noteworthy raids include Operation Millennium
against Cologne, the first 1000 bomber raid; Operation Chastise, the
"Dambusters" raids on targets in the Ruhr Valley;
Operation Gomorrah, the destruction of Hamburg; and the "Battle
of Berlin". The lighter, fast two-engine de Havilland Mosquito
fighter-bomber was used for tactical raids like Operation Carthage,
a raid on the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen; Operation Jéricho
the attack of the Amiens prison in France; as well as a
night-fighter or pathfinder. |
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Battle
of Britain Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia 19 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Hawker
Hurricane Mk.IIc 17 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Avro
Lancaster B Mk.I 9 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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De
Havilland DH;98 Mosquito T.3 633 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Fairchild
UC-61K Argus III 225 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Westland
Lysander Mk.IIIA 161 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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The
history of the RAF are also men and women
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Bristol
Blenheim Mk.IVF 68 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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RAF
in Africa: Curtiss P-40M Kittyhawk III 112 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Hawker
Hurricane Mk.IIC 261 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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RAF
on D-DAY: North American B-25N Mitchell III 320 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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Vicker
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. PRXIX 91 Sqn
(Serge Van Heertum©) |
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After
the war
Arab-Israeli
War 1948
Following the end of the British Mandate of Palestine, the State of
Israel was founded on May 14th, 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 had already been taken over by Israeli forces.
Two Royal Egyptian Air Force Spitfire LF.IXs strafed RAF Spitfire
FR.XVIIIs of No. 32 Squadron and No. 208 Squadron on the ground.
Flying Officers Geoff Cooper and Roy Bowie of 208 Squadron. then
took off in their Spitfire FR.XVIIIs to mount a standing patrol.
Three Egyptian Spitfire LF.IXs launched a second attack, two of
which were shot down by Cooper and Bowie. Flying Officers Mc Elhaw
and Hully, also of 32 Squadron, took over the standing patrol before
the third wave of Egyptian Spitfires arrived. Flying Officer Mc
Elhaw shot both of these down.
Due to the confused circumstances of the 1948 Middle East conflict,
the RAF found itself fighting the Jewish militias, and later, the
nascent Israeli Air Force. Royal Air Force bases in the region were
attacked by both sides and reconnaissance aircraft were shot down.
Among others, on January 7th, 1949, Flying Officer Mc Elhaw, who
participated in the action against Egyptians described above, and
two other pilots, were shot down by Israeli Spitfires while
reconnoitering the aftermath of air attack on an Israeli column by
Egyptian aircraft.
Cold
War (1947-1990)
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 Airlift in 1948 and
1949 which was originally designated Operation Knicker and Operation
Carter-Paterson and later titled Operation Plainfare.
Although the United Kingdom did not base any RAF squadrons in Korea
during the Korean War, the Independent reported that 41 RAF officers
seconded to serve with the United States Air Force, several RAF
pilots saw action while on exchange with the USAF, mainly flying
F-86 Sabre, they were credited with seven kills. At least one pilot
was killed when his F-84E Thunderjet was shot down by anti-aircraft
fire on January 2nd, 1952 as he attempted to strafe a column of
trucks near Sunsan, a village north of Pyongyang. Other RAF pilots
flew Meteors in Royal Australian Air Force squadrons on ground
support attacks. Two flights of Army Cooperation aircraft flew in
support of artillery spotting and reconnaissance. In addition, three
RAF squadrons of flying boats based in Singapore detached one
squadron at a time on a monthly rotational basis to Japan and flew
maritime and meteorological reconnaissance missions in the Yellow
sea and Tushima Straits.
To complement the UK nuclear weapons which were difficult to
manufacture quickly, in 1958 the RAF and other NATO nations were
provided with American nuclear weapons under Project E as a stopgap
measure. The UK had manufactured less than 50 of the 200 atomic and
hydrogen bombs it required at that stage. The RAF V bomber squadrons
took sole responsibility for carrying the UK's nuclear deterrent
until the development of the Royal Navy's Polaris submarines.
Following the introduction of Polaris in 1968 the RAF's strategic
nuclear role was reduced to a tactical one, using the WE.177 gravity
bombs. This tactical role was continued by the V bombers into the
1980s and until 1998 by Tornado GR1s. |
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Vickers
Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. XVIe 41 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Gloster
Meteor NF.11
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Gloster
Meteor T.7 & De Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.11
Central Flying School Scampton
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Hawker
Hunter F.58
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Lockheed
C-130K Hercules C.1 24 Sqn
(Coll Denis Eusicom) |
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De
Havilland DH.106 Comet C.4 216 Sqn
(Coll
Serge Van Heertum) |
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De
Havilland DH-104 Devon C.2 207 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Bristol
Bloodhound surface-to-air missile
(Coll Denis Eusicom) |
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The
primary role of the RAF in the Cold War years was the defence of
Western Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union, with
many squadrons based in West Germany. With the decline of the
British Empire, global operations were scaled back, and RAF Far East
Air Force was disbanded on 31 October 1971.
Despite this, the RAF fought in many battles in the Cold War period.
In June 1948 the RAF commenced Operation Firedog against Malayan
terrorists during the Malayan Emergency. Operations continued for
the next 12 years until 1960 with aircraft flying out of RAF Tengah
and RAF Butterworth. The RAF played a minor role in the Korean War,
with flying boats taking part. From 1953 to 1956 the RAF Avro
Lincoln squadrons carried out anti-Mau Mau operations in Kenya using
its base at RAF Eastleigh. The Suez Crisis in 1956 saw a large RAF
role, with aircraft operating from RAF Akrotiri and RAF Nicosia on
Cyprus and RAF Luqa and RAF Hal Far on Malta as part of Operation
Musketeer. The Confronts against Indonesia in the early 1960s did
see use of RAF aircraft, but due to a combination of deft diplomacy
and selective ignoring of certain events by both sides, it never
developed into a full-scale war. |
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Avro
698 Vulcan B.2 35 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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English
Electric Lightning F.3 11 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Mc
Donnell-Douglas F-4K Phantom II FG.1 43 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Aerospatiale
SA341D Gazelle HT.3 & Westland WS-55 Whirlwind HAR.10
2 Flying Training School RAF Shawbury
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Hawker
Siddeley Nimrod R.1 - Mc Donnell-Douglas F-4K Phantom II FG.1
Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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English
Electric Lightning F.3 - Handley Page Victor K.1A
Mc Donnell-Douglas F-4K Phantom II FG.1
English Electric Canberra T.17
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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English
Electric Canberra PR.9 - Avro
698 Vulcan B.2
Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B - Hawker Siddeley Harrier T.2
Sepecat Jaguar GR.1A
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Royal
Air Force Germany 1977: Mc Donnell-Douglas F-4K Phantom II FG.1
Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B - Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3
Sepecat Jaguar GR.1A
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Hawker
Hunter T.7 - Hawker Hunter F.6
4 Flying Training School RAF Chivenor
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Avro
696 Shackleton AEW2 8 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Westland
WS-55 Whirlwind HAR.10 202 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Westland
Wessex HAR.2 22 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Panavia
Tornado GR.1 prototype
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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British
Aerospace Hawk T.1 4 FTS
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Belize
(1975-1994)
Belize (the former British Honduras) had been threatened for a
number of years by Guatemala which claimed rights to the territory.
In 1975 following the breakdown in negotiations between the United
Kingdom and Guatemala, Guatemalan troops were active close to the
border, and in October 1975 three Westland Puma helicopters were
flown out to Belize Airport as the British garrison was reinforced
to a 1.000 troops. In November six Hawker Siddeley Harriers of 1st
Squadron were flown to Belize to provide some defence of the border
and support the troops. By April 1976 the threat had reduced the
Harriers were flown back to the United Kingdom. Further negotiations
failed to come to an agreement and in June 1977 the garrison was
again reinforced with six Harriers returning in July. Although
Belize was not invaded the Pumas and Harriers were kept in Belize.
The airfield was defended by the RAF Regiment with Rapier and Bofors
L40/70 detachments. While there was a civil war in Guatemala in the
1970s and 1980s, the British forces provided a deterrent as well as
using the country for jungle warfare training. In 1991 Guatemala
recognized Belize and the Harriers left in July 1993 and the Pumas
in 1994. |
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Hawker
Siddeley Harrier GR.3
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Aerospatiale
SA330 Puma HC.1
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Falklands
War (1982)
The Falklands War in 1982 was mainly fought by the Navy and Army due
to the distance of the battlefield from friendly airfields. However
RAF aircraft were deployed in the mid-Atlantic at RAF Ascension
Island and on board the Navy's aircraft carriers alongside aircraft
of the Fleet Air Arm. A detachment from No. 1 Squadron was deployed
to the British Fleet during the War, operating from HMS Hermes and
flying ground attack missions against Argentine forces. RAF pilots
also flew Royal Navy Sea Harriers in the air-to-air combat role and
four RAF pilots shot down five Argentine aircraft.
The most high-profile RAF missions in this conflict were the famous
"Black Buck" raids using Avro Vulcans flying from
Ascension Island. However, the Service did many other things during
the conflict, with its helicopters in the Falklands themselves, its
Harrier GR3s flying from HMS Hermes, its fighter aircraft protecting
Ascension, Nimrod MR2 maritime patrol aircraft scanning the South
Atlantic, and tanker and transport fleet helping in the enormous
logistical effort required for the war.
After the war the RAF remained in the South Atlantic to provide air
defence to the Falkland Islands. The mid-Atlantic base on Ascension
Island continued to be used as a staging post for the air bridge
between the Great Britain and the Falkland Islands. In 1984 RAF
Mount Pleasant was built to provide a fighter and transport facility
on the islands thereby strengthening the defence capacity of the
British Forces. Various radar sites were established and a
detachment of the RAF Regiment provided anti-aircraft support until
that role was transferred to the Royal Artillery. In 2009 the air
defence Tornado F3s were replaced by four Typhoons which are based
at RAF Mount Pleasant. |
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Hawker
Siddeley Harrier GR.3
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Avro
698 Vulcan B.2 XM607 (44 Sqn) was involved in the "Black
Buck" raid.
The aircraft is now preserved at RAF Waddington
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Handley
Page Victor K.1A 57 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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A
treasure of war: FMA IA-58A Pucara
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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1990-2000
Gulf War: During the build-up to the Gulf War, RAF
fighters were based in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. On January 17th,
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
took part in the Bombing of Iraq in 1998.
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 Tornado ground attack jets as well as
an array of support aircraft. |
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Panavia
MRCA Tornado GR.1A 2Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Panavia
MRCA Tornado GR.1A 15 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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SEPECAT
Jaguar GR.Mk.1A "Mary Rose" 6 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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SEPECAT
Jaguar GR.Mk.1A 6 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Blackburn
Buccaneer S.2B 208 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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The
Golf War was an opportunity to bring the "Nose Art" up to
date
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Handley
Page Victor K.2 "Sweet Sue" 55 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Lockheed
L-1011 Tristar K.1 216 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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British
Aerospace Harrier GR.5 1 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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British
Aerospace Harrier GR.7 4 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Panavia
MRCA Tornado GR.1A 12 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Panavia
MRCA Tornado GR.1A 617 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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SEPECAT
Jaguar GR.Mk.1A 41 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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SEPECAT
Jaguar GR.Mk.1A 6 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Mc
Donnell-Douglas F-4J Phantom II 74 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Mc
Donnell-Douglas F-4M Phantom II FGR.2 19 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Lockheed
C-130K Hercules C.1 RAF Lyneham
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Lockheed
C-130K Hercules C.3 RAF Lyneham
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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British
Aerospace Hawk T.1 234 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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British
Aerospace Hawk T.1
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Hawker
Siddeley HS125 CC.2 32 Sqn "Queen's
Flight"
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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British
Aerospace Bae 146 CC.2 32 Sqn "Queen's Flight"
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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SEPECAT
Jaguar GR.Mk.1A 54 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Panavia
Tornado F.3 56 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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English
Electric Canberra PR.9 39 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Boeing
E-3D Sentry AEW.1 8 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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2001-present
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 refueling 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 close air support
role against the Taliban. The Harriers were replaced by an
equivalent force of Tornados GR4 in spring 2009.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq saw a large RAF deployment to the Gulf,
including RAF strike aircraft. The RAF also staged the base for the
4 US B-52 Bombers which attacked Iraq almost every night. The only
RAF losses were a friendly fire incident when an RAF Tornado jet was
shot down by a US Patriot missile killing both pilot and Weapons
Systems Operator due to the Patriot missile mistakenly recognizing
the Tornado as a Mig, and a Hercules transport plane shot down by
ground fire killing the ten personnel on board just after take-off
from the US controlled airfield. Following the invasion occupation
of southern Iraq by British Forces, the RAF was deployed at Basra.
As part of Operation Telic, Merlin, Puma and Chinook helicopters
operated from Basra, protected by the RAF Regiment, forming 903
Expeditionary Air Wing.
In January 2013, the RAF supported Operation Serval, the French-led
operation against Islamist militants in Mali. The UK's contribution
was codenamed Operation Newcombe, C-17 Globemasters from No. 99
Squadron transported French armored vehicles from French Évreux Air
Base to the Malian capital Bamako. The RAF deployed also a Sentinel
R1 aircraft at the request of the French for surveillance support.
The RAF conducted also the Operation Turus in response the Chibok
schoolgirls kidnapping by Boko Haram in Nigeria in April 2014. A
source involved with the Operation told that "The girls were
located in the first few weeks of the RAF mission," and that
"The RAF offered to rescue them, but the Nigerian government
declined," this was because it viewed any action to be taken as
a "national issue," and for it to be resolved by Nigerian
intelligence and security services, the source added that the girls
were then tracked by the aircraft as they were dispersed into
progressively smaller groups over the following months. As of March
4th, 2017, 195 out of the 276 girls kidnapped were still missing.
As from 2014 until today, the RAF is participating in the Military
intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the
British participation is codenamed Operation Shader. Flying out of
RAF bases in Cyprus, they have been known to have destroyed multiple
ISIL targets and deliver humanitarian aid in Iraq as well as carry
out surveillance missions in Syria.
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, a Sentinel R1 airborne standoff radar aircraft, Vickers
VC10 and Lockheed TriStar tankers.
Other operations and activities: In 2004, four RAF Tornado F3s
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 earthquake disaster in
order to provide aid relief support.
In September 2016, it was reported that four RAF Typhoon fighter
jets from No. 2 Squadron with supporting Voyager aircraft from No.
10 and 101 Squadrons, as well as C-17 Globemaster transport
aircraft, were deployed to South Korea to take part in Exercise
Invincible Shield which marked the first time that South Korea
hosted a major air exercise with an air force other than the United
States. The Exercise's goal was to enhance interoperability between
the RAF, Korean Air Force and USAF, whilst deepening the UK and
Republic of Korea's partnership in security and defense.
In October 2016, the RAF was also deployed to Japan as part of
Invincible Shield where they took part in their first-ever joint
exercise drills with the Japanese air self-defense force, South
Korean and USAF air assets also took part in the exercises. South
Korean and US officials said that the goal of the exercise was to
improve the allies' ability to strike key targets in North Korea,
including military facilities and those linked to the regime's
leader, Kim Jong-un. The drill in Japan was also known as Exercise
Guardian North 16 and it ended begin of November. The exercises in
South Korea included the first United Kingdom - Republic of Korea
Fighter exercise that took place from November 4th until November
11th. |
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Westland
Sea King HAR.3A 22 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Short
S-312 Tucano T.1 1 TFS
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Boeing
CH-47D Chinook HC.2 7 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Eurofighter
Typhoon FGR4 29 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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Grob
G115E Tutor 3 TFS
(Jacques
Vincent©) |
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Embraer
Phenom 100EV
(Philippe
Decock©) |
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Lockheed
Martin F-35B Lightning II 617
Sqn (Courtesy RAF Press Office©) |
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London
July 10th, 2018...The RAF 100 Parade |
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Preparation
of the RAF village (Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Anno
2018 is undeniably the year of the Royal Air Force, celebrating her
100th anniversary about everywhere in the country but particularly
during the airshows in Great-Britain. This unique event was put
forward in various ways, culminating in London on July 10th, in
presence of the Royal family with a fly past of around 100 aircraft
wearing proudly the colours of the Royal Air Force.
On July 10th, 100 years after her official creation, London
celebrated this centenary and SBAP was eager to be part of it and in
doing so, emphasizing on this anniversary. The ceremony was held at
Buckingham Palace and the numerous visitors were able to attend the
event all along the Mall, from Trafalgar Square to the Victoria
Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.
The famous fly past was planned at 13.00 hrs local time and, during
the morning, the public had the possibility to visit the RAF village
where some mock-ups and aircraft were displayed. 300 members of the
Royal Air Force lined up perfectly along the Mall, as the
servicemen of Her Majesty can do.
During this time, the Queen Elisabeth II and her family attended a
service at the Westminster Cathedral, followed by a welcome of
honoured guests. The Queen then reviewed the troops before going to
the balcony at Buckingham Palace to watch the parade dedicated to
this dashing centenary.
The parade towards Buckingham Palace counted a thousand women and
men wearing the blue uniform, accompanied by the various marching
bands of the RAF. That way the Mall saw all the standards of the
Royal Air Force parade through to rejoin the Royal House.
100 aircraft of 23 different types and about 200 pilots and
crewmembers, without counting the ground personnel, were necessary
to successfully complete this historical fly past.
Gathering 100 aircraft in a perfect fly past was not the easiest
thing to do and the 25 participating squadrons were spread along 14
military airbases and 3 civil airfields. As to cover every bit of
this historical salute, numerous camera equipped helicopters also
took to the air to allow the BBC to have a real-time image streaming
on this unique event.
Also unique, was the presence of the first F-35B Lightning II, just
flown in from the United States some days before and based at Marham
within the renowned 617 Squadron "Dambusters", reactivated
to welcome these 5th generation fighters.
The fly past was opened by Puma and Chinook helicopters and
concluded by 22 Eurofighter Typhoon, drawing the number 100 in the
London skies, just before the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the
well known and worldwide appreciated "Red Arrows". The Typhoons took off from RAF Coningsby in the
Lincolnshire and it took about 8 minutes to have all these aircraft
and their spares in the air, bound for the capital city of the
United Kingdom.
To mark this occasion, a giant roundel was placed at the Saint James
Park and some 70.000 spectators gave a standing ovation at the end
of the event. Simply fantastic to see the popular zeal towards their
air force, their Royal Air Force!
Being in London for this unique event, it was also the opportunity
to go to the Battle of Britain monument in Whitehall, along the
Thames River. To pay a tribute to all who fought to change the
course of history, was the least that I could do.
Hereby a photographic summary of this magnificent event and see you
all in 2118 for the bicentenary, but this will be another story…
Happy Birthday Royal Air Force! |
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Aircraft
and mock up exhibition (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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The
Mall (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Security...
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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...and
television broadcast are ready for the great parade
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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300
members of the Royal Air Force lined up perfectly along the Mall
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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When
a RAF veteran cross a young RAF
pilot... (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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King's
Troop Royal Horse Artillery (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Royal
Air Force regiments (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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RAF
Waddington Pipes and Drums (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Arrival
of the RAF standards (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Her
Majesty the Queen presented new Colours to the RAF
(Courtesy
Crown Copyright) |
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Popular
fervor to celebrate the centenary
(Courtesy
Crown Copyright) |
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Do
you see our photographer? (Courtesy
Crown Copyright) |
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The
British Royal Family is waiting the aerial parade above Buckingham
Palace (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Aerospatial
Puma HC.2 230 Sqn
(Jacques
Vincent©) |
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(Jacques
Vincent©) |
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Boeing
CH-47D Chinook HC.4 18 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Above
the Thames (Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Puma
and Chinook for the opening (Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Above
Buckingham Palace (Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Douglas
C-47A Dakota BBMF
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Lancaster,
Spitfire and Hurricane BBMF
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Short
312 Tucano T.1 72 Sqn - 1 TFS
(Jacques
Vincent©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Beechcraft
King Air 350CER Shadow R.1 ISTAR 14 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Lockheed
C-130J Hercules C.5 47 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Airbus
Military A400M Atlas 206 Sqn
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Boeing
C-17 Globemaster III 99 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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British
Aerospace BAe 146 CC.2 32 Sqn "Queen's Flight"
(Jef
Pets©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Bombardier
Raytheon Sentinel R.1 54 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Airbus
(A330 MRTT) Voyager KC.2 10 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Philippe
Decock©) |
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(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Boeing
RC-135W Rivet Joint 51 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Boeing
E-3D Sentry AEW.1 56 Sqn
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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British
Aerospace Hawk T.1 100 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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BAE
Sysytems Hawk T.2 4 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Panavia
MRCA Tornado GR.4 14 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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The
newcomer: Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II
617 Sqn (Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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Above
RAF Marham
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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The
three first F-35B in RAF colours above London
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Anthony
Graulus©) |
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100
years of excellence...
(Courtesy
Crown Copyright) |
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Twenty
two aircraft for the number 100
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |

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#1
(Bruno Ghils©) - #2 (Philippe Decock©) |
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Eurofighter
Typhoon FGR.4 29 Sqn
(Serge
Van Heertum©) |
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To
close the fly past, the national aerobatic team, the "Red
Arrows"
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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#1
Ready fro take off (Philippe Decock©)
#2 Above the Thames and aligned for Buckingham Palace
(Courtesy
RAF Press Office©) |
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...for
a fantastic and unforgettable event
(Courtesy
Crown Copyright) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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One
of the commemorative coin to celebrate the RAF centenary |
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The
Battle of Britain Memorial |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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The
Battle of Britain Monument in London is a sculpture located in the
Whitehall neighborhood, overlooking the Thames River, which
commemorates the British military personnel who took part in the
Battle of Britain during the Second World War.
The monument was unveiled on September 18th, 2005, on the 65th
anniversary of the Battle. The memorial was inaugurated by Prince
Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in the presence of some
surviving airmen known collectively as "The Few".
The monument was conceived by Bill Bond, founder of the Battle of
Britain Historical Society.
The monument is made with 25 meter long paneled granite structure. A
walkway is cut obliquely through the middle of the structure, and is
lined with panels of high relief sculpture in bronze depicting
scenes from the Battle of Britain. The centerpiece is an
approximately life sized sculpture of airmen scrambling for their
aircraft during the battle. The outside of the monument is lined
with bronze plates listing 2,936 airmen and ground crew from 14
countries who took part in the battle. The sculptor of the monument
is Paul Day. The statue was cast by Morris Singer, which is the
oldest established fine art foundry in the world and has cast many
prominent statues and sculptures in London and around the world,
including the lions and fountains in Trafalgar Square. |
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Scenes
from the Battle of Britain
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Scramble
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Bronze
plates listing
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Battle
summary
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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With
a thought for our compatriots
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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609
(R) Squadron
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Paul
Day artistic view of the Battle
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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Morris
Singer did the bronze foundry
(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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(Patrick
Brouckaert©) |
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