Timeline of the Royal Air Force

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1900–1918: The origins of the Royal Air Force[]

  • 1901
    • 29 October – The Aero Club of Great Britain is established. In the following years many early military pilots were trained by members of the Club.
  • 1905
    • 27 April – of the British Army's Balloon Section is lifted 2,600 ft (792 m) by a kite at Aldershot under the supervision of the kite's designer, Samuel Cody.
  • 1908
    • Samuel Cody completes the first powered flight in the UK at Farnborough.
  • 1909
    • The Aero Club establishes the first British flying ground near Leysdown in Kent.
    • 2 May – John Moore-Brabazon becomes the first Englishman to make an officially recognized aeroplane flight in England.
  • 1910
    • The Aero Club moves its flying from Leysdown to the nearby Eastchurch.
    • June – Charles Rolls becomes the first Englishman to fly across the Channel.
  • 1911
  • 1912
    • 13 April – The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) is established by Royal Warrant. An Air Committee to liaise between the Admiralty and the War Office is also created.
    • 13 May – RFC assume control of Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers and the Naval Air Service.
    • 19 June- Central Flying School (CFS) is formed at Upavon.
  • 1914
  • 1916
    • 15 February – The Joint War Air Committee is established to co-ordinate the activities of the RFC and RNAS.
    • 15 May – The Air Board replaces the ineffective Joint War Air Committee.
    • 12 December – RFC expands to 106 front-line squadrons and 95 reserve and training squadrons.
  • 1917
    • 29 November – The Air Force (Constitution) Act passed, providing for creation of an Air Force and an Air Ministry.

1918–1939: The inter-war years and policing the Empire[]

  • 1918
  • 1919
    • July – the R34 airship becomes the first aircraft to make an east to west transatlantic flight
    • August – RAF officer ranks are introduced.
  • 1920
    • January to February – The defeat of Diiriye Guure and the "Mad Mullah". The beginnings of colonial air control as RAF aircraft acting with the Somaliland Camel Corps in British Somaliland overthrow the Dervish leaders.
    • 5 February – The RAF College Cranwell is established.
    • WRAF disbanded.
  • 1921
    • 1 October – RAF military control of Mesopotamia begins.
  • 1922
  • 1923
    • April - The RAF's first air trooping operation is conducted during the Kurdish uprising.
  • 1924
    • 1 April - The Fleet Air Arm of the RAF is formed.
    • 9 October - The Auxiliary Air Force is instituted.
  • 1925
    • 1 January - The Air Defence of Great Britain command is formed.
    • March to May – Pink's War. The RAF carries out its first independent air action, bombing and strafing the mountain strongholds of Mahsud tribesmen in Waziristan.
    • 1 and 11 October - The first University Air Squadrons were formed at Cambridge and Oxford universities respectively.
    • 29 October - The Observer Corps is formed.
  • 1926
  • 1927
    • 27 March - The RAF introduces its first all-metal fighter, the Armstrong Whitworth Siskin IIIA
  • 1928
    • 23 December – The Kabul Airlift. The world's first air evacuation is carried out by the RAF when the British Legation in Kabul is flown to safety.
  • 1929
  • 1930
    • 1 January - RAF Far East Command is established.
  • 1931
  • 1932
    • April to June – Following Sheikh Ahmad Barzani's small-scale revolt in north-east Iraq, the RAF conducts psychological and conventional air operations which result in Sheikh Ahmad's surrender.-
  • 1933,

Africa cover 5,309 miles, establishing a new world long distance record for nonstop flying.

The Fairey Long Range Monoplane MkII establishes a new nonstop world long distance record. Squadron Leader O.R. Gayford and Flight Lieutenant G.E. Nicholetts flying from RAF Cranwell and landing at Walvis Bay in South Africa cover 8,544 kilometres (5,309 miles).

1939–1945: World War II[]

For RAF WWII air operations, see List of air operations during the Battle of Europe.
  • 1939
  • 1940
    • 16 May – Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding writes his letter to the Air Ministry which results in no further aircraft squadrons, earmarked for home defence, being sent to France.
    • 10 July – The Battle of Britain begins.
    • 13 August – Adlertag (Eagle Day). The Luftwaffe's attempts to gain air superiority over Britain fail, with the balance of aircraft losses being strongly in the RAF's favour.
  • 1941
  • 1942
    • 30 May – Over 1,000 bombers set out to raid Cologne, severely damaging the city.
    • 1 June – Around 1,000 bombers set out to raid Essen, however many crews mistakenly bomb other cities.
    • 25 June – Around 1,000 bombers set out to raid Bremen, severely damaging the city and successfully bombing the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory.
  • 1943
    • 5 March – In an effort to decimate the German industrial base, Bomber Command begins bombing the Ruhr region.
    • 25 March – Transport Command is formed by redesignating Ferry Command.
    • 16 May – Aircraft of 617 Squadron set out on Operation Chastise, commonly known as the Dambusters Raid. The Mohne and Eder dams are breached.
    • 18 November – This is the first night of a four-month bombing campaign against Berlin.
  • 1944
  • 1945
    • 22 February – Allied Air Forces launch Operation Clarion, a concerted effort to destroy German transportation within 24 hours.

1945–1990: The Cold War years[]

  • 1948
    • 28 June 1948 to 30 September 1949 – The RAF conducts Operation Plainfare, the British contribution to the Berlin Airlift.
    • June – The RAF conducts Operation Firedog against Malayan terrorists during the Malayan Emergency. Two Spitfires of No. 60 Squadron fly the first offensive mission on 6 July, destroying an enemy base at Perak. Involvement continues until 1960.
  • 1949
  • 1952
  • 1953
    • Avro Lincoln squadrons flying out of RAF Eastleigh conduct anti-Mau Mau operations in Kenya. Operations continue until 1955.
  • 1956
  • 1958
  • 1967
  • 1968
    • 30 April – Strike Command is formed from Fighter Command and Bomber Command.
    • 28 November – Coastal Command is absorbed into the newly created Strike Command.
  • 1969
    • 1 January – Signals Command is absorbed into Strike Command.
  • 1972
    • 1 September – Air Support Command is absorbed into Strike Command.
  • 1982
  • 1985
  • 1986
    • 8 January – RAF Marine Branch disbanded.

1990–present: Expeditionary operations[]

Tail of Tornado GR4 ZG750, marking 25 years of Tornado GR operations, at the 2016 Farnborough Airshow.
  • 1990
    • RAF fighters based in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait prior to the Gulf War
  • 1991
    • 16 January to 11 April – During the Gulf War, RAF aircraft fight in the air battle over Kuwait and Iraq.
    • The RAF begins Operations Resonate North and Resonate South, the British contribution to the Allied efforts to enforce the Iraqi no-fly zones. These operations continue for over a decade.
  • 1993
  • 1998
    • 16 December – Operation Desert Fox. RAF Tornados and USAF F-117s bomb military targets in Iraq.
  • 2001
    • 9 October – During the third day of Operation Veritas, RAF aircraft commenced the provision of air-to-air refuelling, reconnaissance and surveillance support to US aircraft operating over Afghanistan.
  • 2004
    • September – A detachment of six RAF Harriers from Joint Force Harrier was based at Kandahar Airfield to support colilition ground forces.[1]
    • 30 October – 31 December – Four Tornado F3s deployed to Lithuania for the British rotation as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing.[2]
  • 2005
    • RAF deployed to Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake disaster to provide aid relief support and transport
  • 2006
    • July – Three Chinook helicopters of 27 Squadron deployed to RAF Akrotiri to evacuate British citizens from Lebanon.
  • 2007
  • 2016

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ministry of Defence | Fact Sheets | Operations Factsheets | Operations in Afghanistan: Background Briefing 1". 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ Hansard, 14/12/04

Royal Air Force website timeline

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