| No. 29 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active |
|
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Type | Operational conversion unit |
| Role | Typhoon training |
| Part of | Combat Air Force |
| Station | RAF Coningsby |
| Mottos | Impiger et Acer (Latin for 'Energetic and keen') |
| Aircraft | Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 |
| Insignia | |
| Tail badge |  |
| Roundel |  |
| Tail codes | YB (Dec 1938–Sep 1939) RO (Sep 1939–Apr 1951) BA–BZ (1987–present) |
No. 29 Squadron is a squadron of theRoyal Air Force which is theTyphoon Operational Conversion Unit. Based atRAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the squadron is responsible for aircrew training on theEurofighter Typhoon FGR4. It originally formed as a unit of theRoyal Flying Corps in 1915, and is one of the world's oldest fighter squadrons.
This unit was first raised as a reserve squadron atFort Grange,Gosport, initially equipped with theRoyal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c, in November 1915. In early 1916 however No. 29 became the fourth squadron to receive theAirco DH.2"pusher" fighter, and arrived in France on 25 March 1916[1] – helping to end theFokker Scourge and establish Alliedair superiority in time for theBattle of the Somme.[2]
By late 1916, the DH.2 was outclassed bynew German fighters, but No. 29 Squadron kept its pushers until March 1917, when it was re-equipped with theNieuport 17. These were replaced with later Nieuport types, such as theNieuport 24bis, as these became available. Due to a shortage of theRoyal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a the squadron retained its Nieuports until April 1918. At this time the squadron finally received the S.E.5a, which it retained for the rest of the war.[3]
The award of aVictoria Cross – the highest award for valour "in the face of the enemy" in the British Empire – to CaptainJames McCudden of No. 29 Squadron wasgazetted on 2 April 1918, for McCudden's "conspicuous bravery, exceptional perseverance and a high devotion to duty", between August 1917 and March 1918.[4]
October 1918 was a bitter month for the squadron; an American volunteer,Lieutenant Joseph Patrick Murphy was the first to fall on 8 October and become aprisoner of war.[5] Britishflying aceClaude Melnot Wilson was next to fall, on 14 October[6] andGuy Wareing was shot down on the 27 October.[7]
After a short period with the army of occupation in Germany, the squadron returned to the UK in August 1919 and was disbanded on 31 December 1919.[3] The squadron ended the war having claimed 385 victories. Apart from those already mentioned, the 26 aces who served with the squadron included:
No. 29 Squadron was reformed on 1 April 1923, initially equipped withSopwith Snipes. These were replaced byGloster Grebes in January 1925, In turn, these were replaced by theArmstrong Whitworth Siskin IIIA in March 1928 andBristol Bulldogs in June 1932.[3] In March 1935, nearly twenty years after it was first raised as a single-seat fighter squadron, the squadron received two-seaterHawker Demons, which it operated until 1938. This included service in Egypt from October 1935 to 1936, during theAbyssinian crisis.[3] As part of the Royal Air Force’s modernisation and expansion in the late 1930s, No. 29 Squadron receivedBristol Blenheim IF heavy fighters in December 1938.[3]
No. 29 Squadron began theSecond World War with its Blenheims, which at the period operated as day fighters – especially on convoy protection patrols. From June 1940, it became anight fighter squadron, receiving some of the firstBristol Beaufighters in November, though it was February 1941 before the squadron was fully equipped with the new fighter.[3]
Various marks of thede Havilland Mosquito were flown by the squadron from May 1943 culminating in the Mosquito NF.30.[3]
During the immediate post-war years the squadron remained a night/all weather fighter unit. The Mosquitoes continued to serve until replaced by theGloster Meteor NF11 in August 1951.[3]
In November 1957, the squadron moved toRAF Acklington in Northumberland where it was re-equipped withGloster Javelins.[3] In July 1958, it relocated toRAF Leuchars in Fife.[3] In February 1963, the squadron moved toCyprus and in December 1965 went toNdola inZambia for nine months on detachment during theRhodesian crisis.[3] A single aircraft was written off when all undercarriage legs failed to come down on 2 June 1966.[8]
From May 1967 the squadron operated theEnglish Electric Lightning F.3 and were based atRAF Wattisham nearStowmarket inSuffolk.[3] It remained at Wattisham until December 1974 when it re-equipped with theMcDonnell F-4 Phantom and moved toRAF Coningsby inLincolnshire.[3]
In May 1982, a detachment of three Phantom FGR2 were deployed toRAF Ascension Island in theSouth Atlantic during theFalklands War. On completion of repairs to the runway atPort Stanley Airport in the Falkland Islands in August 1982, the squadron deployed ten aircraft south to the islands. The first arriving on 17 October 1982 flown by the then officer commanding Wing CommanderIan Macfadyen.[9]
In 1987, No. 29 Squadron was one of the first RAF units to receive thePanavia Tornado F3, deploying toSaudi Arabia after theIraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and thereafter participating inOperation Desert Storm.[10] The squadron flew the Tornado until disbanding in 1998, as part of theStrategic Defence Review.[3]
No. 29 Squadron was reformed in 2003, this time as the Typhoon operational conversion unit.[3]
Thesquadron's badge features aneagle in flight, preying on abuzzard. The eagle, attacking another bird of prey, is symbolic of air combat. The badge was approved byKing George VI in April 1937, however the eagle had been used in an earlier version between 1914 and 1918.[11]
The squadron's motto isImpiger et Acer (Latin for 'Energetic and keen').[12]
Since the late 1920s, No. 29 Squadron has used markings with three red X's on its aircraft . Since "XXX" closely resembles theRoman numeral for "29" (XXIX) there is a belief among current squadron personnel that this originated as a misspelling of the Roman numeral.[13]
Various explanations for the tradition have been suggested, the most common being a misunderstood instruction to ground crew to paint "2 X's in front of theroundel and IX behind it" meaning "X,X,(roundel), and 'IX' or 'one-X'" resulted in "XX(roundel)'one times' X". In fact, the marking was always applied as "XXX(roundel)XXX" or as "XXX(roundel)" on smaller types, such as the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin.[13]
Another theory is that the original adoption of "XXX" for the 1930s squadron marking was not related to Roman numerals, but was a reference to thebrewers' mark for "extra strong", frequently applied tokegs of beer, and that it is only a coincidence that this resembles the numeral for "29" (XXIX).[13]
However, as the original squadron markings on theGloster Grebe consisted of four X's, it is likely both versions above are genuine, and the four X's were just a suitable geometric shape that were shortened to three to fit the smaller space on the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin.[14][15]
As of March 2025, aircraft operated by No. 29 Squadron use the following peacetime air traffic controlcall signs within UK airspace:Anarchy,Beaufighter, Cobra, Gunfighter, Riot, Sherman, Triplex andWarlord. The Typhoondisplay aircraft uses the call signReheat.[16]
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No. 29 Squadron has received the followingbattle honours. Those marked with an asterisk (*) may be emblazoned on thesquadron standard.[17][18]
