List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons

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Squadrons are the main form of flying unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF). These include Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) squadrons incorporated into the RAF when it was formed on 1 April 1918, during the First World War. Other squadrons of the RAF include those from Commonwealth air forces which have served within the RAF structure and squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm before it transferred to the Royal Navy in 1939.

Some squadrons have an individual tradition of presenting their squadron number in Roman numerals or using a suffix to their squadron number (such as "(F)" for "Fighter" or "(AC)" for "Army Co-operation") to indicate a past or present role. However, these practices have, at least in the past, been deprecated at higher levels.[1]

Contents

[edit] Regular RAF squadrons (Nos. 1-299)

[edit] Nos. 1-50

[edit] Nos. 51-100

[edit] Nos. 101-150

[edit] Nos. 151-200

[edit] Nos. 201-250

The first squadrons to carry numbers above 200 were former RNAS squadrons that were renumbered upon amalgamation with 200 added to their RNAS squadron number. Independent flights of the RNAS were grouped together in squadrons and given numbers in the 200 series.

[edit] Nos. 251-299

[edit] American manned

Main article: RAF Eagle Squadrons

[edit] Polish manned (Nos. 300-309)

See also Squadrons Nos. 315-318, 663 and Polish Fighting Team (under Other)

[edit] Czechoslovak manned

Note: the RAF never had a No. 314 Squadron, although they did use the number as No.314 Technical Services Unit.

[edit] Polish manned (Nos. 315-318)

See also Squadrons Nos. 300-309, 663 and Polish Fighting Team (under Other)

Note: the RAF never had a No. 319 Squadron; the "Polish Fighting Team" was attached to No. 145 Fighter Squadron.

[edit] Dutch manned

Note: Nos. 323 to 325 Squadrons were not formed. However these numbers were used for post-war Royal Netherlands Air Force squadrons.

[edit] French manned (Nos. 326-329)

See also Nos. 340-347 Squadron

[edit] Norwegian manned

[edit] Greek manned

Note: Nos: 337-339 never formed.[3] The Royal Hellenic Air Force 13th Light Bomber Squadron was also under RAF command in World War II.

[edit] French manned (Nos. 340-347)

See also Nos. 326-329 Squadron

Note: Squadron codes letters for No. 348 were allocated but the squadron was not formed [4]

[edit] Belgian manned

[edit] Yugoslav manned

[edit] Regular RAF squadrons (Nos. 353-361)

Note: Nos. 362-399 Squadrons were not formed. [5]

[edit] Article XV squadrons of World War II

Under Article XV of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the air forces of Australia, Canada and New Zealand formed squadrons for service under RAF operational control.

[edit] Royal Canadian Air Force

Note: Nos. 444 to 449 Squadrons were not formed. However these numbers were used for post-war Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons.

[edit] Royal Australian Air Force

[edit] Royal New Zealand Air Force

Note No Nos. 491-499 Squadrons seem to have been formed.[5]

[edit] Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons (Nos. 500-509)

Formed as "Special Reserve" squadrons but absorbed into the Royal Auxiliary Air Force

Note: No. 505 to 509 Squadron allocated but never formed.

[edit] Regular RAF squadrons (Nos. 510-598)

Note No Nos. 599 Squadron seem to have been formed.[5]
Note: There were to been Reserve squadrons using numbers 551-566 which would have been created by adding 500 to existing Operational Training Unit designations.[6] In the event the plan was never put into effect, although there was some desultory use of some of the numbers by some of the OTUs for a short period. Despite their lack of formal activation, this block of numbers has never been re-allocated for use by other units.

[edit] Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadrons (Nos. 600-616)

[edit] Regular RAF squadrons (Nos. 617-650)

Note: Nos. 629, 632-634, 636-638 and 645-649 were never formed. [7] However a fictitious "633 Squadron" was featured in the eponymous novel and film. Also, RAF Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (formerly Volunteer Gliding Schools until 2005) have been numbered in the range 611 to 671 since 1955.

[edit] Air Observation Post squadrons

These squadrons were formed during the Second World War to perform artillery spotting and liaison roles, in co-operation with Army units. Most AOP squadron aircrew were provided by the Army. Nos. 661-664 and 666 Squadron were re-formed as Royal Auxiliary Air Force units in 1949. Nos. 651, 652 and 656 Squadron were transferred to the Army Air Corps in 1957.[8]

[edit] Regular RAF squadrons (Nos. 667-695)

Note: Nos. 693-694 and 696-699 Squadrons were never formed. [7]

[edit] Fleet Air Arm squadrons

While still under the control of the RAF, flights of the Fleet Air Arm were organized into squadrons with numbers in the 700 and 800 range. The range 700 to 750 had been previously used for Fleet Air Arm Catapult Flight numbers.[9]

These squadrons were transferred to the Royal Navy in 1939, becoming Naval Air Squadrons (NAS).[10] The 700 and 800 range of squadron numbers continued to be used by the Royal Navy for newly-formed Naval Air Squadrons.

[edit] Balloon squadrons

Squadron numbers from 901 to 999 were allocated to barrage balloon units of the Auxiliary Air Force's Balloon Command. All the numbers were used.[11] Examples of such squadrons are:

[edit] Others

[edit] Squadron codes

From 1939 before the Second World War to the early 1950s, squadrons of the RAF used two letter codes to identify its aircraft. They were usually painted on the sides of the plane to the left of the roundel; a third letter after the roundel identified the individual aircraft within the squadron. [12][13]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Why do some Squadrons have letter after their number? - PPRuNe
  2. ^ a b See RAF Eagle Squadrons
  3. ^ [[1]]
  4. ^ No 330 - 352 Squadron Histories, Air of Authority
  5. ^ a b c d Axis History Forum • View topic - RAF Unit Numbers query?
  6. ^ No 541 - 598 Squadron Histories, Air of Authority
  7. ^ a b The Royal Air Force - History Section
  8. ^ No 651 - 670 Squadron Histories, Air of Authority
  9. ^ FleetAirArmArchive.net
  10. ^ No 712 - 825 Squadron Histories, Air of Authority
  11. ^ RAF Squadrons 901 - 980, Air of Authority
  12. ^ No squadron operated more than 26 aircraft
  13. ^ list of three-letter squadron codes
  • Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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