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PLEASE FOLLOW OUR E BAY STORESEE ALL PICSSALE SEE OUR STOREPLEASE READ WHOLE ADDRoyal Air Force"RAF" redirects here. For other uses, seeRAF (disambiguation)andRoyal Air Force (disambiguation).Royal Air Force
- Badge of the Royal Air Force
- Logo of the Royal Air Force
Founded1April 1918; 106 years agoCountryUnited KingdomTypeAirandspace forceRoleAerialandspace warfareSize
- 31,025 active personnel[1]
- 3,028 reserve personnel[1][note 1]
- 404 aircraft[2]
PartofBritish Armed ForcesAir Staff OfficesWhitehall,LondonMotto(s)"Per Ardua ad Astra"(Latin)
(Through Adversity to the Stars)ColoursRed, white, blue
MarchQuick: "Royal Air Force March Past"
Slow: "Saeculum"[3]Anniversaries1 AprilEngagementsshowSee Charles IIISecretary of State for DefenceRt Hon Grant Shapps MPChief of the Air StaffAir Chief MarshalSir Richard KnightonDeputy Chief of the Air StaffAir MarshalPaul LloydAir and Space CommanderAir MarshalHarvey SmythWarrant Officer of the Royal Air ForceWarrant OfficerMurugesvaran SubramaniamInsigniaRoundelFin flashEnsignAircraft flownAttackMQ-9 Reaper
Protector RG1[4]FighterTyphoon FGR4
F-35B LightningHelicopterChinook HC4/5/6/6A
Puma HC2ReconnaissancePoseidon MRA1
Airseeker R1
MQ-9 Reaper
Shadow R1/1A
Protector RG1TrainerHawk T1/2
Texan T1
Phenom T1
Typhoon T3
Viking T1
Prefect T1
Tutor T1
Juno HT1
Jupiter HT1TransportVoyager KC2/3
Atlas C1
C-17 Globemaster
Envoy IV CC1TankerVoyager KC2/3Royal Air Force
of theBritish Armed ForcesComponents
- Air Command
- Space Command
- Royal Air Force Regiment
- Royal Air Force Reserve
- Royal Air Force Medical Service
- Nursing Service (PMRAFNS)
- Chaplaincy
- Royal Air Force Police
History and future
- History of the Royal Air Force/future
Aircraft
- Current aircraft
- Historic aircraft
Personnel
- Air Force Department
- Uniforms
- Officer/other rank insignia
Auxiliary services
- Royal Auxiliary Air Force
- Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment
TheRoyal Air Force(RAF) is theairandspace forceof theUnited Kingdom,British Overseas TerritoriesandCrown Dependencies.[5]It was formed towards the end of theFirst World Waron 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by merging theRoyal Flying Corps(RFC) and theRoyal Naval Air Service(RNAS).[6]Following theAlliedvictory over theCentral Powersin 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time.[7]Since its formation, the RAF has playeda significant roleinBritish military history. In particular, during theSecond World War, the RAF establishedair superiorityoverHermann Göring'sLuftwaffeduring theBattle of Britain, and led the Alliedstrategic bombingeffort.[8][9]
The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the BritishMinistry of Defence(MOD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government's foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security".[10]The RAF describes its mission statement as "... [to provide] anagile, adaptable and capableAir Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission".[11]The mission statement is supported by the RAF's definition ofair power, which guides its strategy. Air power is defined as "the ability toproject powerfrom the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events".[12]
Today, the Royal Air Force maintains anoperational fleetof various types of aircraft,[13]described by the RAF as being "leading-edge" in terms of technology.[14]This largely consists of fixed-wing aircraft, including those in the following roles:fighterandstrike,airborne early warning and control,intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance(ISTAR),signals intelligence(SIGINT), maritime patrol,air-to-air refueling(AAR) andstrategic&tactical transport. The majority of the RAF's rotary-wing aircraft form part of the tri-serviceJoint Helicopter Commandin support of ground forces. Most of the RAF's aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving onglobal operations(principallyover Iraq and Syria) or at long-established overseas bases (Ascension Island,Cyprus,Gibraltar, and theFalkland Islands). Although the RAF is the principal British air power arm, theRoyal Navy'sFleet Air Armand theBritish Army'sArmy Air Corpsalso operate armed aircraft.
History[edit]Further information:List of Royal Air Force operationsMain article:History of the Royal Air Force
showAir Force (Constitution) Act 1917Origins[edit]
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; first air force to become independent of army or naval control.[15]The RAF was founded on 1 April 1918 (duringWorld War I) by the amalgamation of theRoyal Flying Corps(RFC) and theRoyal Naval Air Service(RNAS), as recommended in a report prepared byJan Smuts.[16]At that time it was the largest air force in the world.[16]Its headquarters was located in the formerHotel Cecil.[17]
After the war, the RAF was drastically cut and its inter-war years were relatively quiet. The RAF was put in charge ofBritish military activity in Iraq, and carried out minor activities in other parts of theBritish Empire, including establishing bases to protectSingaporeand Malaya.[18]The RAF's naval aviation branch, theFleet Air Arm, was founded in 1924 but handed over toAdmiraltycontrol on 24 May 1939.[19]
The RAF adopted the doctrine ofstrategic bombing, which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became its main bombing strategy in theSecond World War.[20]
Second World War[edit]Further information:Air warfare of World War IIASpitfireandHurricane, which both played major roles in theBattle of Britain.
The Royal Air Force underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War. Under theBritish Commonwealth Air Training Planof December 1939, the air forces ofBritish Commonwealthcountries trained and formed "Article XV squadrons" for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from these countries, and exiles fromoccupied Europe, also served with RAF squadrons. By the end of the war theRoyal Canadian Air Forcehad contributed more than 30 squadrons to serve in RAF formations, similarly, approximately a quarter ofBomber Command'spersonnel were Canadian.[21]Additionally, theRoyal Australian Air Forcerepresented around nine per cent of all RAF personnel who served in the European and Mediterranean theatres.[22]During theBattle of Britainin 1940, the RAF defended the skies over Britain against the numerically superior GermanLuftwaffe. In what is perhaps the most prolonged and complicated air campaign in history, the Battle of Britain contributed significantly to the delay and subsequent indefinite postponement ofOperation Sea Lion,Hitler'splans for an invasion of the UK. In theHouse of Commonson 20 August, prompted by the ongoing efforts of the RAF, Prime MinisterWinston Churchillmade a speech to the nation, where he said "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".[23]
TheAvro Lancasterheavy bomber was extensively used during the strategic bombing of Germany.
The largest RAF effort during the war was thestrategic bombingcampaign against Germany by Bomber Command. While RAF bombing of Germany began almost immediately upon the outbreak of war at first it was ineffectual; it was only later, particularly under the leadership ofAir Chief MarshalHarris, that these attacks became increasingly devastating, from early 1943 onward, as new technology and greater numbers of superior aircraft became available.[24]The RAF adopted night-timearea bombingon German cities such asHamburgandDresden. Night time area bombing constituted the great bulk of the RAF's bombing campaign, mainly due to Harris, but it also developed precision bombing techniques for specific operations, such as the"Dambusters" raidbyNo. 617 Squadron,[25]or the Amiens prison raid known asOperation Jericho.[26]
