Royal Air Force: Difference between revisions
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The '''Royal Air Force''' ('''RAF''') is the youngest military service of the United Kingdom; the RAF and Women's Royal Air Force were formed on 1 Apr 1918.<ref name=RAF-TL->{{citation | The '''Royal Air Force''' ('''RAF''') is the youngest military service of the United Kingdom; the RAF and Women's Royal Air Force were formed on 1 Apr 1918.<ref name=RAF-TL->{{citation | ||
| url = http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/raftimeline19181929.cfm | | url = http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/raftimeline19181929.cfm | ||
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*[[Nevada]] (joint training facility in the [[United States]] | *[[Nevada]] (joint training facility in the [[United States]] | ||
Major temporary operations | Major temporary operations have included: | ||
*[[Operation Telic]] (Iraq) | *[[Operation Telic]] (Iraq) | ||
*[[Operation Herrick]] (Afghanistan) | *[[Operation Herrick]] (Afghanistan) | ||
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===Equipment=== | ===Equipment=== | ||
===Offensive=== | ===Offensive=== | ||
The RAF operates two series of [[Harrier (fighter)]] [[STOVL]] (short takeoff and vertical landing) aircraft, from both land and sea bases. It also uses the GR4 version of the [[ | The RAF operates two series of [[Harrier (fighter)]] [[STOVL]] (short takeoff and vertical landing) aircraft, from both land and sea bases. It also uses the [[Tornado GR4]] version of the [[Panavia]] for strike missions, and will be adopting the [[Eurofighter Typhoon]]. The Typhoon replaces the air defense variant of the Tornado, called the F2 or F3in British service, as well as the Jaguar ground support aircraft. | ||
===C3I-ISR=== | |||
Tornado and Harrier aircraft can mount tactical reconnaissance pods, and the RAF increasingly uses [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s such as the [[MQ-9 Reaper]]. Other aircraft include the R1 [[signals intelligence]] and [[imagery intelligence]] variant of the [[BaE Systems Nimrod]], as well as the [[Sentinel R1]] [[synthetic aperture radar]] surveillance aircraft, derived from the Bomardier Global Express business jet. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
Revision as of 15:38, 13 February 2011
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the youngest military service of the United Kingdom; the RAF and Women's Royal Air Force were formed on 1 Apr 1918.[1]
Current operations
RAF units are both permanently and temporarily assigned to locations worldwide.
Locations
Permanent deployments include:
- UK Air Defence
- Gibraltar
- Ascension Island
- Falkland Islands
- Cyprus
- Nevada (joint training facility in the United States
Major temporary operations have included:
- Operation Telic (Iraq)
- Operation Herrick (Afghanistan)
- United States Central Command, Tampa, Florida
- Balkans
- Sierra Leone
- Diego Garcia
- Persian Gulf
- Georgia
- Sudan
Equipment
Offensive
The RAF operates two series of Harrier (fighter) STOVL (short takeoff and vertical landing) aircraft, from both land and sea bases. It also uses the Tornado GR4 version of the Panavia for strike missions, and will be adopting the Eurofighter Typhoon. The Typhoon replaces the air defense variant of the Tornado, called the F2 or F3in British service, as well as the Jaguar ground support aircraft.
C3I-ISR
Tornado and Harrier aircraft can mount tactical reconnaissance pods, and the RAF increasingly uses unmanned aerial vehicles such as the MQ-9 Reaper. Other aircraft include the R1 signals intelligence and imagery intelligence variant of the BaE Systems Nimrod, as well as the Sentinel R1 synthetic aperture radar surveillance aircraft, derived from the Bomardier Global Express business jet.
References
- ↑ Royal Air Force, RAF Timeline 1918-1929