First Class Cadet Training

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First Class Cadet Training

• The Royal Air Force (RAF) Lecture 1 History

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The RAF Mission

• The mission of the RAF is to
• "Produce a battle-winning agile air force fit
  for the challenges of today ready for the tasks
  of tomorrow capable of building for the future
  working within Defence to achieve shared
  purpose."

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The RAF - Vision

• The RAFs vision of itself is
• "An AGILE and ADAPTABLE Air Force that, person
  for person , is second to none, and that is able
  to provide a WINNING air power contribution to
  joint operations in support of the Defence
  Mission."

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Development of the Royal Air Force

• Except for the use of balloons for
  reconnaissance, military aviation in the U.K
  started in May 1912 with the formation of The
  Royal Flying Corps.
• In June 1914 the navy broke away and formed the
  Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS)
• Aircraft mainly used for reconnaissance until
  Germans began to use fighter aircraft to shoot
  down our reconnaissance machines that we
  countered with our own British fighters.

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The Sopwith Pup was highly successful during the
early years of the RFC in 1917
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Development of the Royal Air Force

• On 1st April 1918 the Royal Air Force was born
  through the amalgamation of the existing RFC and
  RNAS
• At end of war RAF had 190 Sqns with 290,000 men-
  in less than two years strength dropped to 30
  sqns and 25,000 men.
• Sir Winston Churchill and Lord Trenchard (Father
  of the RAF) agreed it should be kept at
  operational strength
• Royal Air Force Cadet College Cranwell (1920)
• Apprentices School at RAF Halton (1922)
• RAF Staff College Andover (1922)

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The RAF during the inter-war years

• RAF won the Schneider trophy in 1927, 1929 and
  1931.
• Development of radio location to detect and
  locate aircraft- Radio Detection and Ranging
  (RADAR)

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The RAF in the Second World War

• Between May and June 1940 Fighter Command flew
  more than 2,750 sorties to provide air
  superiority over the Dunkirk beaches to cover the
  evacuation of the British army from France.
• Battle of Britain- 1940 six hundred to seven
  hundred fighters mainly spitfires and Hurricanes
  flew daily against the Luftwaffes force of 1,000
  fighters and 1,250 bombers.

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After World War Two

• As in 1918, the end of hostilities again led to
  the contraction of the Royal Air Force.
• The re-equipment with jet-engined aircraft in
  the post war years marked a revolutionary change
  in the service.
• Meteors and Vampires began a long line of
  military jet-engined aircraft in which the
  Canberra became the first jet-engined bomber to
  enter service.

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The Canberra was the first jet-engined bomber to
enter RAF service.
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First Jet Transport

• In 1956 the RAFs first jet-engined transport
  squadron of Comet 2s based on the first jet
  civilian airliner

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V-Bombers The Nuclear Deterrent

• V-bombers became Britains answer to nuclear
  deterrent.
• Valiant aircraft dropped first atomic bomb at
  Maralinga in 1956 and first Hydrogen bomb at
  Christmas Island in 1957.

Valiant
Victor
Vulcan
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RAFs first supersonic jet fighter

• In 1960 the first RAF supersonic fighter, the
  Mach 2 lighting entered service.

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Harrier, Joint Aircraft

• In 1969 RAF achieved another first when V/STOL
  Harrier, the Worlds first fixed-wing
  Vertical/short take-off/landing entered service
• Other developments brought the Nimrod, Buccaneer,
  the Phantom and the Hercules into RAF Service

Harrier GR7A
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Buccaneer
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Nimrod
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Phantom
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C-130J Hercules
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Multi-Country Aircraft Development

• Close ties with Europe has resulted in
  arrangements with France for the joint
  development and production of the Jaguar and 3
  types of helicopter Puma, Gazelle and Lynx
  (operated by the Army Air Corps)

Jaguar GR3
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Puma
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Tornado F3 GR4A

• The Tornado was developed and produced in
  Britain, Germany and Italy.

Tornado GR4A
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Tornado F3 to be replaced by Typhoon
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Eurofighter Typhoon

• A joint-nation project to act as a multi-role
  strike fighter
• Named by an AIR CADET as the Typhoon!

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Eurofighter Typhoon
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NATO

• To a large extent Britains security lies in the
  strength of the North Atlantic Treaty
  Organisation (NATO alliance)
• It is to NATO that a larger part of Britains
  military forces are committed.
• British interests and responsibilities are also
  world-wide and so Britain must be willing, within
  her means to play her part in countering threats
  to peace outside Europe.

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Falklands Conflict

• In 1982 the Falklands War provided a stern test
  of the RAFs ability to deploy force at extreme
  range.
• The nearest available air base was at Ascension
• Island, beyond normal range from the
  Falklands.
• Air-to-Air refueling became the vital factor and
  the emergency conversion of tankers and
  receivers, together with training of crews became
  a top priority.
• During this conflict Vulcan bombers were
• used to carry out the longest range strategic
  bombing missions in the history of air power.

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Falklands Conflict
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Gulf War 1990-1991

• In 1990 Britains ability to apply air power at
  long range was tested once again when Iraq
  invaded Kuwait and the RAF, as part of a United
  Nations Coalition force, played its part in
  liberating the country.
• It showed the value of rapid response - A Tornado
  F3 Sqn was flying operational missions from Saudi
  Arabia within 50 hours of the Governments
  decision to deploy its forces - effectively
  deterring further Iraqi aggression.
• Another important feature of the Gulf War was the
  accuracy of the bombing using laser, TV and
  infra-red guided bombs and rockets.

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Gulf War 1990-1991

• An accurate bombing raid in 1943 was considered
  to be 90 of the bombs falling within 3 miles of
  the target in the Gulf, 90 of the precision
  guided munitions landed within 5 feet of the
  point of aim.
• This high level of accuracy enabled the RAF to
  attack specific targets with little risk of
  unwanted damage or unintentional civilian
  casualties.

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Current RAF Deployments

• Iraq Peace keeping/anti-terrorism
• Afghanistan - Peace keeping/anti-terrorism
• The Balkans UN led mission medical, bomb
  disposal, supply operations
• Northern Ireland Helicopter support
• The Falkland Islands island security fighter
  cover, supply operations, SAR

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Iraq
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Afghanistan
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Questions

• The name of the organisation from which the RAF
  developed was?
• The Royal Flying Corp.
• The RAF was founded in?
• 1918
• Which bombers provided Britains first nuclear
  deterrent?
• V-bombers