| Fleet Air Arm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1914 (As theRoyal Naval Air Service) 1924 (as the naval branch of theRoyal Air Force) 1937 (as part ofNaval Service) |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Size | 5,000 personnel c. 160 aircraft[1] |
| Part of | Naval Service |
| Engagements | Second World War Korean War Operation Musketeer (Suez Crisis) Falklands War Gulf War Bosnia Afghanistan War Iraq War |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commodore-in-Chief | Catherine, Princess of Wales |
| Commodore Fleet Air Arm | Commodore Stuart Finn[2][3] |
| Insignia | |
| White Ensign |  |
| Roundels |   |
| Fin flashes |   |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Wildcat HMA2 |
| Fighter | F-35B Lightning II |
| Patrol | Merlin HM2 Wildcat HMA2 |
| Reconnaissance | AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma[4] Commando Wildcat AH1 Peregrine rotary-wing UAV |
| Trainer | Avenger T1 Prefect T1 Tutor T1 Juno HT1[5] Jupiter HT1[6] |
| Transport | Commando Merlin HC4/4A |
 |
| His Majesty's Naval Service of theBritish Armed Forces |
|---|
| Components |
|
| History and future |
| Operations |
| Equipment |
| Personnel |
| Auxiliary services |
TheFleet Air Arm (FAA) is thenaval aviation component of the United Kingdom'sRoyal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of fiveRN fighting arms.[7] As of 2023[update] it is a primarilyhelicopter force, though also operating theF-35 Lightning II carrier-based stealth fighter jointly with theRoyal Air Force.
The RAF was formed by the 1918 merger of the RN'sRoyal Naval Air Service with theBritish Army'sRoyal Flying Corps. The FAA did not come under the direct control of theAdmiralty until mid-1939. During the Second World War, the FAA operated aircraft on ships as well as land-based aircraft that defendedthe Royal Navy's shore establishments and facilities.
British naval flying started in 1909, with the construction of anairship for naval duties.[8] In 1911 the Royal Navy graduated its first aeroplane pilots at theRoyal Aero Clubflying ground near Eastchurch,Isle of Sheppey under the tutelage of pioneer aviatorGeorge Bertram Cockburn.[9] In May 1912, naval and army aviation were combined to become theRoyal Flying Corps (RFC). The Naval Wing of the RFC lasted until July 1914 when the Royal Navy reformed its air branch, under theAir Department of theAdmiralty, naming it the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).[10] By the outbreak of the First World War, in August 1914, the RNAS had more aircraft under its control than the remaining RFC.[11][page needed] The roles of the RNAS were fleet reconnaissance, patrolling coasts for enemy ships and submarines, attacking enemy coastal territory and defending Britain from enemy air raids, along with deployment along the Western Front. In April 1918 the RNAS, which at this time had 67,000 officers and men, 2,949 aircraft, 103 airships and 126 coastal stations, merged with the RFC to form theRoyal Air Force.[12]
On 1 April 1924, the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force was formed, encompassing those RAF units that normally embarked on aircraft carriers and fighting ships.[13] The year was significant for British naval aviation as only weeks before the founding of the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Navy had commissionedHMS Hermes, the world's first ship to be designed and built as an aircraft carrier. Over the following months RAF Fleet Air ArmFairey IIID reconnaissance biplanes operated off Hermes, conducting flying trials.
On 24 May 1939 the Fleet Air Arm was returned to Admiralty control[14] under the "Inskip Award" (named after theMinister for Co-ordination of Defence overseeing the British re-armament programme) and renamed the Air Branch of the Royal Navy. At the onset of the Second World War, the Fleet Air Arm consisted of 20 squadrons with only 232 frontline aircraft, and 191 additional trainers. By the end of the war the strength of the Fleet Air Arm was 59 aircraft carriers, 3,700 aircraft, 72,000 officers and men and 56 Naval air stations.
During the war, the FAA operated fighters, torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Following theDunkirk evacuation and the commencement of theBattle of Britain, the Royal Air Force soon found itself critically short of fighter pilots. In the summer of 1940, the RAF had just over 800 fighter pilots and as personnel shortages worsened; the RAF turned to the Admiralty to ask for help from the Fleet Air Arm. Fleet Air Arm crews underRAF Fighter Command were either seconded individually to RAF fighter squadrons or entire as with 804 and 808 Naval Air Squadrons. The former provided dockyard defence during the Battle of Britain withSea Gladiators.[15]
In British home waters and out into the Atlantic Ocean, operations against Axis shipping and submarines in support of the RN were mounted byRAF Coastal Command with large patrol bombers, flying boats and land-based fighter-bombers. Theaircraft carrier had replaced thebattleship as thecapital ship of the RN and its aircraft were now its principal offensive weapons. The top scoringfighter ace with 17 victories was CommanderStanley Orr, theRoyal Marine ace wasRonald Cuthbert Hay with 13 victories. A number of Royal Marines wereFAA pilots during the war.
Notable Fleet Air Arm operations during the war included theBattle of Taranto, the sinking of theBismarck, the attempt to prevent theChannel Dash,Operation Tungsten against theTirpitz andOperation Meridian against oil plants inSumatra.
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After the war the FAA needed to flyjet aircraft from their carriers. The jet aircraft of the era were considerably less effective at low speeds than propeller aircraft, but propeller aircraft could not effectively fight jets at the high speeds flown by jet aircraft. The FAA took on its first jet, theSea Vampire, in the late 1940s. The Sea Vampire was the first jet credited with taking off and landing on a carrier. The Air Arm continued with high-powered prop aircraft alongside the new jets resulting in the FAA being woefully outpowered during theKorean War. Nevertheless, jets were not yet wholly superior to propeller aircraft and a flight of ground attackHawker Sea Furies downed aMiG-15 and damaged others in an engagement.
As jets became larger, more powerful and faster they required more space to take off and land. TheUS Navy simply built much larger carriers. The Royal Navy had a few large carriers built and completed after the end of the war but another solution was sought. This was partly overcome by the introduction of a Royal Navy idea toangle the flight deck away from the centre line so that the aircraft landing had a clear run away from the usual forward deck park. An associated British invention, intended to provide more precise optical guidance to aircraft on final approaching the deck, was theFresnel lens optical landing aid. Another Royal Navy invention was the use of asteam-powered catapult to cater for the larger and heavier aircraft (both systems were adopted by the US Navy).
Defence cuts across the British armed forcesduring the 1960s and 1970s led to the withdrawal of existing Royal Navy aircraft carriers, transfer of Fleet Air Arm fixed-wing jet strike aircraft such as theF-4K (FG.1) Phantom II andBuccaneer S.2 to the Royal Air Force, and cancellation of large replacement aircraft carriers, including theCVA-01 design. The last conventional carrier to be retired wasHMS Ark Royal in 1978.[16] When HMSHermes was converted in 1980/81 to a STOVL carrier to operate Sea Harriers, a'Ski-jump ramp' was fitted to aid take-off. A new series of small carriers, theInvincible-class anti-submarine warfare ships (known as "through deck cruisers") were built and equipped with theSea Harrier a derivative of theHawker Siddeley HarrierVTOL aircraft. These carriers incorporated an upswept forward section of the flight deck that deflected the aircraft upward on launch and permitted heavier loads to be carried by the Harrier, for example in weaponry, and the system was used extensively in the Falklands War, with bothHermes andInvincible part of the Task Force.At the end of theCold War in 1989 the Fleet Air Arm was under the command of theFlag Officer Naval Air Command, arear admiral based atRNAS Yeovilton.
The inventory of the Fleet Air Arm in 1989 consisted of the following aircraft:[17]
In 2000 theSea Harrier force was merged with theRAF'sHarrier GR7 fleet to formJoint Force Harrier. The Fleet Air Arm began withdrawing the Sea Harrier from service in 2004 with the disbandment of800 NAS.801 NAS disbanded on 28 March 2006 atRNAS Yeovilton (HMSHeron). 800 and 801 NAS were then combined to form theNaval Strike Wing, flying ex-RAF Harrier GR7 and GR9s. On 1 April 2010, NSW reverted to the identity of 800 Naval Air Squadron. The Harrier GR7 and GR9 retired from service in December 2010 following theStrategic Defence and Security Review 2010.[18]
Two newQueen Elizabeth-class carriers able to operate theF-35Bshort take-off and landing variant of the USLockheed Martin Lightning II aircraft were constructed. In theStrategic Defence and Security Review 2015, it was announced that the carriers would enter service "from 2018".[19] The procurement plan is for a force of 138 F-35 aircraft, which are intended to be operated by both the RAF and FAA from a common pool, in the same manner as the Joint Force Harrier.[20] With the introduction of the F-35, the Fleet Air Arm will return to the operation of fixed-wing strike aircraft at sea. In 2013, an initial cadre of Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel were assigned to theU.S. Marine Corps' Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501), part of theU.S. Air Force's33rd Fighter Wing atEglin Air Force Base, Florida, for training on the F-35B.809 Naval Air Squadron will be the first FAA unit to operate the F-35B and will be based atRAF Marham.[21]
Helicopters also became important combat platforms since the Second World War. Initially used in thesearch and rescue role, they were later developed foranti-submarine warfare andtroop transport; during the 1956Suez Crisis they were used to landRoyal Marine Commando forces, the first time this had ever been done in combat.[22] Originally operated only from carriers, the development of theWestland Wasp in the 1960s allowed helicopters to operate on all ships offrigate size or larger. Wasps,Sea Kings andWessex helicopters all played an active part in the 1982 Falklands War, whileLynx helicopters played an attack role against Iraqi patrol boats in the 1991Gulf War andCommando Sea King HC4s as well as the Lynx HMA Mk 8 from HMSArgyll, assisted in suppressing rebel forces in theBritish intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War in 2000.
The Fleet Air Arm has amuseum near RNAS Yeovilton (HMSHeron) inSomerset, England, at which many of the great historical aircraft flown by the Service are on display, along with aircraft from other sources. There is also a Fleet Air Arm museum inside theMuseum of Transport & Technology inAuckland, New Zealand. On display there is a full-size replicaFairey Swordfish, along with historic items and memorabilia.
In 1938, AdmiraltyFleet Orders 2885 announced the formation of an Air Branch of theRoyal Naval Reserve. Thirty three unmarried men signed up for eighteen months full-time flying training; however, before these first volunteers were able to gain their wings Britain was at war. At the end of hostilities in 1945 the RNVR(A) was 46,000 strong, with over 8,000 aircrew. Post war the RNVR(A) comprised 12 dedicated reserve squadrons, grouped regionally into Air Divisions. However, defence cuts in 1957 disbanded the five Air Divisions, and the following year the RNVR was merged with the RNR.
As of 1 December 2013, the Regular Fleet Air Arm has a reported strength of 5,000 personnel,[23] which represents approximately 20% of the Royal Navy's total strength (excludingRoyal Marines).
TheAssistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Aviation & Carriers), the professional head (and also Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm), is Rear AdmiralMartin Connell as of February 2019.[24] Under First Sea Lord AdmiralTony Radakin’s plans, the professional head of the Fleet Air Arm is set to shortly change to a one-star role, headed by aCommodore.[25]
Members of the Fleet Air Arm continue to be known as WAFUs.[26][27] WAFU ("wet and f**king useless") is said to actually derive from "Weapon and Fuel Users", a stores category for clothing.[28]
The RNR Air Branch was commissioned at RNAS Yeovilton on 16 July 1980, and shortly afterwards 38 ex-regular aircrew began refresher training. Today the RNR Air Branch comprises approximately 250 ex-regular service Officers and Ratings, covering all aviation trades, tasked to support the Fleet Air Arm.
The Air Branch has its roots in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Air Branch, whose members served with distinction between 1937 through the Second World War until 1950 when it was disbanded. Formed on 3 April 1980, the Air Branch was initially established to provide additional Pilots and Observers to the Royal Navy, but later expanded to include all trades and specialisations of the Fleet Air Arm. Currently comprising some 320 personnel, HMS Pegasus is one of the biggest Units in the Royal Naval Reserve.
The name HMS Pegasus has a long and interesting history in the Royal Navy, dating back to 1585. The second HMS Pegasus was commanded by Prince William Henry, who later became King William IV, known as the Sailor King. In late 1786, the third HMS Pegasus was stationed in the West Indies under then Captain Horatio Nelson, earning three of her four Battle Honours. The fourth and last HMS Pegasus served as a prototype fighter catapult ship, originally commissioned as HMS Ark Royal, serving primarily on convoy duty in the Second World War.
The name Pegasus has associations outside of the Royal Navy, including the Bristol Aeroplane Company engine that powered the Fairey Swordfish and the Rolls Royce engine that powered the BAE Sea Harrier. And, of course, the Parachute Regiment use Pegasus as their emblem.
The FAA is known for its use of the 'Fleet Air Arm Zig Zag': a light blue zig zag on a dark blue background.
The pattern is thought to have belonged to the "Perch Club", membership of which was restricted to those who had completed 100 deck landings without an accident. The zig zag was thought to have been taken from a Creeping Line Ahead, a parallel search pattern performed by FAA aircraft in a carrier task group.[29]
Today, the dark blue background represents the Royal Navy; the colour of the zigzag represents the Royal Flying Corps, from which the Royal Naval Air Service was born; and the zigzag shape represents a nod to the Royal Artillery (red zigzag on blue background), given that the first people sent aloft in tethered balloons to spot the fall of shot were Royal Artillery observers. It was these observers who became early members of the Royal Flying Corps.[30][31]
Aircrew wear flying badges, such as pilots wearing a pair of gold albatross wings. The wings badges also feature a crown and fouled anchor in the centre, to reflect the maritime element of the flying undertaken. Wings are worn on the left sleeve of naval aviators, unlike their other service counterparts.[32]
The FAA operates fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. It uses the same aircraftdesignation system as the RAF.
The introduction of theF-35B Lightning II saw a restoration of fixed wing, front-line operations to the FAA after the retirement ofJoint Force Harrier in 2010. The Lightning Force is a joint RAF-Fleet Air Arm formation with all F-35Bs capable of operating from the Royal Navy'sQueen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. The first Fleet Air Arm squadron to operate the F-35B is809 Naval Air Squadron which formally stood-up in December 2023, joining other F-35B squadrons within the RAF that are formally part ofNo. 1 Group RAF.[33][34]
An initial order of 48 airframes was made in 2012 to equip the air wings of the twoQueen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, with the operation split between the FAA and theRoyal Air Force, as was the case with Joint Force Harrier.809 Naval Air Squadron was announced as the second UK unit to fly the F-35B (the first being617 Squadron RAF) and is the first FAA unit to operate the aircraft. It is understood that at least two further frontline squadrons will stand up in the future alongside 809, 617,17(R) Test and Evaluation Squadron and an RAF-numbered Operational Conversion Unit, creating a total of six squadrons including the OCU and OEU. Under the Strategic Defence and Security Review of November 2015, the UK Government made a commitment to buying 138 F-35B, with at least 24 available for carrier use by 2023.[35][36] Subsequently, following on the2021 defence review, the First Sea Lord indicated that the new envisaged number was to be 60 aircraft initially and "then maybe more", up to a maximum of around 80 to hopefully equip four "deployable squadrons".[37] In April 2022, the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Richard Knighton, told the House of Commons Defence Select Committee that the MoD was in discussions to purchase a second tranche of 26 F-35B fighters. Plans for frontline F-35B squadrons had been modified and now envisaged a total of three squadrons (rather than four) each deploying 12-16 aircraft.[38] In surge conditions 24 F-35s might be deployed on the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers but a routine deployment would likely involve 12 aircraft.[39]
In January 2019, initial operating capability for the UK's F-35B was announced[40] with 18 F-35Bs jointly delivered to the UK.[41] As of December 2022, 26 aircraft were operational in the UK and were based atRAF Marham. These aircraft regularly deployed for operations on theQueen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.[42][43][44] Another 3 F-35s remained in the US for testing and evaluation purposes.
While 33 F-35B aircraft (including 3 or 4 based in the U.S.) were in the U.K. inventory by March 2024,[45] former U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace reported that the RAF and Royal Navy faced a considerable challenge in providing even the existing modest F-35B fleet with qualified pilots. As of late 2022 there were only 30 qualified British pilots (plus three exchange pilots from the United States and Australia) for the F-35. The average wait time for RAF trainee Typhoon and F-35 pilots, after completing the Military Flying Training System, was approximately 11 and 12 months respectively. A further gap of 68 weeks existed between completing Basic Flying Training and beginning Advanced Fast Jet Training. The resulting pilot shortage was a factor in delaying the ability to stand up the first Fleet Air Arm Squadron (809 Squadron) on a timely basis.[46] In February 2023, theChief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, reported that the number of F-35 pilots had grown to 34 UK pilots with a further 7 to complete training by August 2023.[47]
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Four types of fixed wing aircraft are operated by the FAA for training purposes: Pilot Grading is carried out using theGrob Tutor T1.Elementary flying training is then conducted on theGrob Prefect T1. From there, pilots are streamed to either Rotary or Fast-Jet.
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Observer grading and training is done using fourBeechcraft Avenger T1[48] before observers join their frontline aircraft.
Today the largest section of the FAA is the rotary wing section. Pilots designated for rotary wing service train underNo. 1 Flying Training School atRAF Shawbury.[49] The school is a tri-Service organisation consisting of civilian and military instructors (including Naval instructors and a Naval Air Squadron) that take the student from basic flying through to more advanced flying such as instrument flying, navigation, formation and captaincy.
Its aviators fly one of four types of helicopters:
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The HC4/4AAW101 Merlin (nicknamed "Junglie Merlin") serves as a medium lifter and troop transporter in support of theRoyal Marines. The FAA received the Merlin HC3/HC3A fleet from the RAF, replacing the Commando Sea King in September 2014. These have been marinised and replaced with HC4s/HC4As, under the Merlin Life Sustainment Programme (MLSP) that was placed on contract in December 2013.[50]
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TheAW159 Wildcat: the BRH (Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter) replaces theWestland Lynx as the Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter of the FAA. Along with the Commando Merlin, these squadrons operate underCommando Helicopter Force, which provides airborne support toUK Commando Force of the Royal Marines.
TheWildcat HMA2 became the standard small ship borne helicopter in the FAA, with 28 Wildcats replacing the Lynx HMA8 in 2017. Twenty-eightAW159 Wildcat HMA2 helicopters perform a range of roles including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare and airborne surveillance.
TheMerlin HM2 ("Grey Merlin") is the FAA's primary anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter, having replaced the Sea King HAS6 in the role. It is presently deployed with various ships of the Royal Navy.[51]
Merlin HM2 also incorporates anairborne early warning and surveillance (AEW) variant, known as Crowsnest, which replaced the ASaC7 variant of theSea King. The first Merlin HM2 test flight with Crowsnest was completed in April 2019.[52] However, initial operating capability of the system was significantly delayed. While Crowsnest was deployed with the U.K. carrier strike group in 2021, it experienced operating challenges and finally achieved initial operating capability in July 2023. Full operating capability is expected in 2024/25. While all Merlins in the Royal Navy will be equipped to operate Crowsnest, only ten kits for the system are being acquired. It has been reported that initially five Merlins will be equipped with Crowsnest, three of these being normally assigned to the "high readiness" aircraft carrier.[53] Challenges involved in the Crowsnest program have led the Royal Navy to seek a replacement for its helicopter-based AEW platform with a new fixed-wing UAV, underProject Vixen, by 2030.[54]
As of 2024, the Royal Navy operated a number of small UAVs, including theAeroVironment Puma AE and Ebee Vision.[55][56][57][58] In 2024, the Navy reported that there were a total of nine qualified Puma teams, six of which were dedicated to supporting the Royal Marines in40 and45 Commando.[59]
The FAA's inventory was further boosted with the addition of thePeregrine rotary-wing UAV which started trials onHMS Lancaster in August 2024.[60][61][62]
A number of unmanned systems are under development for the Fleet Air Arm including fixed-wing UAVs, envisaged for potential operation from theQueen Elizabeth-class carriers. These programs are in the conceptual or planning stages under a program known asProject Vixen.[63]
A Fleet Air Arm flying squadron is formally titled Naval Air Squadron (NAS),[64] a title used as a suffix to the squadron number. The FAA assigns numbers in the 700–799 range to training and operational conversion squadrons and numbers in the 800–899 range to operational squadrons. Exceptions to the 700–799 include operational conversion squadrons which also hold some form of operational commitment where they are then titled 800–899. During WWII the 1700 and 1800 ranges were also used for operational squadrons.
| Unit | Type | Aircraft | Base | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying squadrons | |||||
| 700X Naval Air Squadron | UAV | AeroVironment Puma AE,Peregrine ISR UAV[65] | RNAS Culdrose | Remotely Piloted Aircraft System shipborne flights[66] | Provides HQ function for Puma AE flights and serves as evaluation unit for any future UAV systems selected by the Royal Navy, including the Peregrine UAV which began trials in mid-2024[67] |
| RPAS future trials unit[66] | |||||
| 703 Naval Air Squadron | Fixed-wing | Grob Prefect | RAF Barkston Heath | Elementary flying training | Part of the Joint Elementary Flying Training School (JEFTS) |
| 705 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Eurocopter Juno HT1 | RAF Shawbury | Basic and advanced multi-engine helicopter training | Part of 2 Maritime Air Wing (within1 FTS) alongside660 Squadron AAC and202 Squadron RAF |
| 727 Naval Air Squadron | Fixed-wing | Grob Tutor T1 | RNAS Yeovilton | Pilot grading and Air Experience/Elementary Flying Training[68] | |
| 744 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Merlin HM2 Crowsnest | MoD Boscombe Down | Operational Test and Evaluation[69] | Tri-service unit Formerly Mission Systems and Armament Test and Evaluation Squadron RAF[70] |
| Chinook HC5/HC6 | |||||
| 750 Naval Air Squadron | Fixed-wing | Beechcraft Avenger T1 | RNAS Culdrose | Observer grading and training | |
| 809 Naval Air Squadron | Fixed-wing | F-35B Lightning | RAF Marham | Carrier strike | Part of jointLightning Force underRAF Air Command |
| 814 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Merlin HM2 | RNAS Culdrose | Anti-submarine warfare (small ship flights) | Merged with829 NAS in 2018[71] |
| 815 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Wildcat HMA2[72][73][74] | RNAS Yeovilton | Attack/ASW (small ship flights) | |
| 820 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Merlin HM2 | RNAS Culdrose | Anti-submarine warfare (carrier air group) | Attached to both HMSQueen Elizabeth and HMSPrince of Wales's air groups[75] Merged with849 NAS in April 2020.[76][77] |
| Merlin HM2 Crowsnest[78][79] | Airborne surveillance | ||||
| 824 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Merlin HM2 | RNAS Culdrose | Conversion Training (Merlin ASW) | Will have responsibility for all conversion training for Merlin HM2[79] |
| Conversion Training (Merlin Crowsnest) | |||||
| 825 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Wildcat HMA2 | RNAS Yeovilton | Conversion Training (Wildcat) | Formed by merger of700W NAS and702 NAS in August 2014[72] |
| 845 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Merlin HC4/HC4A | RNAS Yeovilton | Very High Readiness Medium lift | Part ofCHF |
| 846 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Merlin HC4 | RNAS Yeovilton | Extremely High Readiness Medium lift | |
| Conversion Training (Merlin Commando) | |||||
| 847 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary | Wildcat AH1[80] | RNAS Yeovilton | Battlefield reconnaissance and support | |
| Non-flying squadrons | |||||
| 1700 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary and fixed-wing | RNAS Culdrose | Flight deck activities, logistic and catering support, operations, engineering Support, even medical assistance | Technical support Formerly Maritime Aviation Support Force (MASF) | |
| 1710 Naval Air Squadron | Rotary and fixed-wing | HMNB Portsmouth | Specialist aircraft repair, modification and scientific support | Technical support | |
An additional flying unit of the Royal Navy is the FOST Helicopter Support Unit based atHMSRaleigh in Cornwall. This unit is not part of the Fleet Air Arm, but is directly under the control ofFleet Operational Sea Training, operated byBritish International Helicopters (BIH).[81] BIH also support various Royal Navy and NATO exercises with passenger and freight transfer services and transfers by hoist, for ships exercising both in the Atlantic and the North Sea.
The Royal Navy share both operational and training duties on the Lightning II with theRAF under a banner organisation called theLightning Force, which will operate in the same manner asJoint Force Harrier.[82]
Until March 2019, the Fleet Air Arm had responsibility for theRoyal Navy Historic Flight, a heritage unit of airworthy aircraft representing the history of aviation in the Royal Navy. The Historic Flight was disbanded on 31 March 2019, with responsibility for maintaining and operating the aircraft transferred to Navy Wings, a charitable body that also runs the Fly Navy Heritage Trust.[83]
Some 64 naval pilots and nineobservers have reachedflag rank in theRoyal Navy and fourRoyal Marines pilots general rank in the Royal Marines. Four of these admirals with pilot's 'wings' were air engineering officers (test pilots) and two weresupply officers; two of the non-executive officers reached four-star rank: asupply officer,Admiral Sir Brian Brown (1934–), and a Royal Marine, General SirPeter Whiteley (1920–2016).
Two new Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers, the largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy. These will enter service from 2018, transforming the Royal Navy's ability to project our influence overseas. (p. 30)
14 September 2016
809 Naval Air Squadron (NAS) has been resurrected as the first Royal Navy formation to fly the UK's Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
See table 4a page 18 and table 4b page 20
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
