| No. 72 (Fighter) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 28 June 1917 – 1 April 1918 (RFC) 1 April 1918 – 22 Sept 1919 (RAF) 22 Feb 1937 – 30 December 1946 1 February 1947 – 30 June 1961 15 November 1961 – 1 April 2002 12 July 2002 – 31 October 2019 28 November 2019 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying training squadron |
| Role | Advanced flying training |
| Part of | No. 4 Flying Training School RAF |
| Home station | RAF Valley |
| Nickname | 'Basutoland'[1] |
| Motto | Swift[2] |
| Aircraft | Beechcraft Texan T1 |
| Battle honours |
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| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | A swiftvolant, intended to symbolise speed.[3] |
| Post 1950 squadron insignia |  |
| Squadron codes | RN (Oct 1938 – Apr 1939)[4] SD (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[4][5] RN (Sep 1939 – Dec 1946)[6][7] FG (Jan 1947 – Apr 1951)[8][9] AA–AZ (Wessex)[10] |
Number 72 (Fighter) Squadron of theRoyal Air Force is a training squadron that is currently based atRAF Valley using theBeechcraft Texan T1 to deliver Basic Fast Jet Training (BFJT).
No. 72 Squadron started life in 1917 supporting theBritish Army duringWorld War I on operations in theMiddle East, being disbanded in 1919. It was reformed in 1937, initially withGloster Gladiator biplane fighters,[11] moving on to flySupermarine Spitfires during theBattle of Britain. For the remainder of World War II it served in a variety of theatres, ending up disbanded in Austria in 1946.
Reformed again in 1947, it was equipped withde Havilland Vampire jet fighters, moving on to theGloster Meteor, and then theGloster Javelin, flying these until 1961.After the jets, it moved toRAF Odiham and from 1961 until 1 April 2002 the squadron flewhelicopters in the transport role. In 2002 it assumed its current role as a training unit, initially based atRAF Linton-on-Ouse using theShort Tucano T.1, before moving to RAF Valley and the Texan trainer.
The squadron nickname, "Basutoland", is derived from the fact that during both world wars, the Basutoland Protectorate, nowLesotho, donated aircraft to RAF, which were assigned to No. 72 Squadron.[12]
No. 72 Squadron was formed on 28 June 1917 atUpavon as a squadron of theRoyal Flying Corps.[3][13] On Christmas Day, the squadron left for theMiddle East and regrouped atBasra on 2 March. Here, they split in three flights, each assisting the Army in their various missions, and were disbanded inBaghdad on 22 September 1919.[3]
No. 72 Squadron was reformed atRAF Tangmere on 22 February 1937 from 'B' flight ofNo. 1 Squadron, initially equipped with theGloster Gladiators that came across from No. 1 Squadron.[3] In 1939, these were replaced bySupermarine Spitfires, which were used for air defence and convoy protection duties following the start ofWorld War II. Then, in May 1940, the squadron moved toRAF Gravesend[14] to provide air cover forOperation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk.[15]
At the start of theBattle of Britain, No. 72 Squadron was in theNorth of England atRAF Acklington as part ofNo. 13 Group, before moving south toRAF Biggin Hill during September to aid the main defence force.[14] The squadron was then moved to North Africa to support theTunisian campaign before being supplied with the updated Spitfire Mk.IX in 1942. They then assisted theBritish 8th Army as they advanced through Italy and France up until the German surrender. At this point they were moved to Austria. It was here they were disbanded on 30 December 1946 atZeltweg.[3]
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The squadron was reformed on 1 February 1947 atRAF Odiham by renumberingNo. 130 Squadron.[3] They took over No. 130 Squadron'sde Havilland Vampire F.1s, making no haste to remove that units 'AP' code.[16] The Vampire soldiered on for three versions until it gave way to theGloster Meteor F.8 in 1952, and when the squadron was given a night-fighter role in February 1956 these were replaced with Meteor NF.12s and Meteor NF.14s. In April 1959, the squadron got the all-weather fighter role and was givenGloster Javelin FAW.4s and later Javelin FAW.5s. These were flown until the squadron was disbanded atRAF Leconfield on 30 June 1961.[3]
On 15 November 1961, No. 72 Squadron was reformed atRAF Odiham, but now as a helicopter unit.[17] They were equipped with twin-rotorBristol Belvederes HC.1s until theWestland Wessex HC.2 replaced these aircraft in August 1964. For the next thirty-eight years they continued to use these aircraft and in that time the squadron saw action in Malaya, provided post-disaster assistance following theTorrey Canyon tanker disaster in 1967 and supported the security forces in Northern Ireland from 1969.[17] During the mid-1970s the squadron also operated a SAR 'D' flight atRAF Manston.[18] From January 1997 the Wessex was partly supplanted with the more modernWestland Puma HC.1. The squadron's Wessex HC.2s departedRAF Aldergrove on 25 March 2002, shortly before their retirement.[19] No. 72 Squadron was then disbanded on 1 April 2002 at Aldergrove.[17][15]
On 12 July 2002,No. 1 Flying Training School divided its strength between two new reserve squadrons – No. 72 (Reserve) Squadron andNo. 207 (Reserve) Squadron, with both units operating theShort Tucano T.1 atRAF Linton-on-Ouse,North Yorkshire.[20] No. 72 (Reserve) Squadron became No. 72 Squadron after the (Reserve) suffix was rescinded across the RAF on 1 February 2018.[21] The final Tucano Basic Fast-jet Training (BFJT) course graduated on 25 October 2019, which was marked with a nine-ship flypast over the local area.[22] No. 72 Squadron disbanded on 31 October 2019.[23]
On 28 November 2019, the squadron stood-up atRAF Valley operating theBeechcraft Texan T.1.[24]
On 13 November 2020, No. 72 Squadron became No. 72 (Fighter) Squadron to reflect its former role as a fighter unit.[25][26]
| From | To | Aircraft | Variant | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1918 | June 1918 | Airco DH.4 | 'A' flight | |
| March 1918 | January 1919 | Spad S.7 | 'A' flight | |
| April 1918 | November 1918 | Martinsyde G.100 | 'B' flight | |
| April 1918 | February 1919 | Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 | S.E.5A | 'A' flight |
| April 1918 | February 1919 | Bristol M.1 | M.1c | 'C' flight |
| May 1937 | May 1939 | Gloster Gladiator | Mk.I | |
| April 1939 | April 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.I | |
| May 1940 | May 1940 | Gloster Gladiator | Mks.I, II | Acklington unserviceable for Spitfires[28] |
| April 1941 | July 1941 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mks.IIa, IIb | |
| July 1941 | July 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.Vb | |
| July 1942 | February 1943 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.Vc | |
| July 1942 | August 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IX | |
| August 1942 | November 1942 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.Vb | |
| February 1943 | October 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk.IX | |
| June 1943 | January 1944 | Supermarine Spitfire | Mk. Vc | |
| October 1944 | December 1946 | Supermarine Spitfire | LF.Mk.IX | |
| February 1947 | October 1948 | de Havilland Vampire | F.1 | |
| June 1948 | February 1950 | de Havilland Vampire | F.3 | |
| November 1949 | July 1952 | de Havilland Vampire | FB.5 | |
| July 1952 | February 1956 | Gloster Meteor | F.8 | |
| February 1956 | June 1959 | Gloster Meteor | NF.12 | |
| February 1956 | June 1959 | Gloster Meteor | NF.14 | |
| April 1959 | June 1961 | Gloster Javelin | FAW.4 | |
| June 1959 | June 1961 | Gloster Javelin | FAW.5 | |
| November 1961 | August 1964 | Bristol Belvedere | HC.1 | |
| August 1964 | Easter 2002 | Westland Wessex | HC.2 | |
| January 1997 | Easter 2002 | Westland Puma | HC.1 | |
| July 2002 | October 2019 | Short Tucano | T1 | |
| November 2019 | present | Beechcraft Texan | T1 |
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