702 Naval Air Squadron

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702 Naval Air Squadron
702 NAS badge.jpg
702 NAS Badge
Active1936-1952, 1978-1 August 2014
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeTraining Air Squadron
RoleTraining and Fleet Air Arm Maintenance
Part of Fleet Air Arm
Garrison/HQ RNAS Yeovilton
Motto(s)Cave Ungues Felis
"Beware the Claws of the Cat"
Equipment Westland Lynx HMA.8
Commanders
Current
commander		Not in Current Naval Service
Ceremonial chiefHRH Queen Elizabeth II

702 Naval Air Squadron (702 NAS) was a naval squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. It was based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset and earlier at RNAS Portland in Dorset. As a training Squadron it trained all ground and air crew for the sister front-line maritime Lynx squadron, 815 NAS [1]

Contents

It merged with 700(W) NAS to form 825 NAS. [2] 702 NAS disbanded on 1 August 2014. [3]

History

Formation and WWII (1936 - 1945)

702 NAS was founded on 15 July 1936 [4] to operate aircraft from the ships of the 2nd Battle Squadron. Operating Supermarine Walrus and Fairey Seal aircraft from its base at RAF Mount Batten initially, later these were replaced by the Fairey Swordfish float-plane. Granted Squadron status in 1939, and briefly disbanded in 1940, 702 Naval Air Squadron reformed as a Long Range Catapult squadron with Fairey Seafoxes for duty in Armed Merchant Cruisers for much of the Second World War.

In 1949 the squadron reformed at RNAS Culdrose as the Naval Jet Evaluation Training Unit. Equipped with four de Havilland Sea Vampires, it also became the first unit to fly the Gloster Meteor and was the first unit to achieve jet landings at night on a carrier, embarked in HMS Implacable and HMS Theseus. The squadron was renumbered as 738 Naval Air Squadron in 1952.

Aircrew and Maintainer training squadron (1978 - 2014)

702 was reformed in 1978 and has since operated the Westland Lynx HAS2, HAS3 and HMA8. The squadron is tasked to provide aircrew training and maintenance personnel for the Maritime Lynx, ready for ship's flights. It has a complement of around 160 aircrew and maintainers with approximately a further 20 aircrew and 115 maintainers in training per annum also providing refresher training for an additional 30 aircrew.

In 1981 these roles were split and the parenting duty became the charge of 815 Naval Air Squadron. The following year both squadrons relocated to RNAS Portland for a period of eighteen years before returning to its current location of RNAS Yeovilton in 1999.

702 NAS disbanded at a ceremony held at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton on 1 August 2014. Its aircraft transferred to 815 NAS and its personnel transferred to either 815 NAS or 825 NAS.[ citation needed ]

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800 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

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700 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

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845 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

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847 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

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848 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

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750 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

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727 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

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815 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

815 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm, part of the Royal Navy, based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset; it is the Navy's front line Wildcat Naval Air Squadron. It comprises AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2 helicopters and is the largest helicopter squadron in western Europe.

809 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

809 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the United Kingdom. It was first formed in 1941 and flew in the Soviet Union, the Mediterranean and the Far East during the Second World War. After active service during the Suez Crisis, 809 was disbanded in 1959. Reformed in 1963 to fly Blackburn Buccaneers, the squadron was disbanded briefly in 1965-66, and then again in 1978. A brief period during the Falklands War saw 809 reformed to bring Sea Harrier FRS.1 aircraft south to the UK task group and to fly from Illustrious.

829 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

829 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. Before it was decommissioned in March 2018, it operated the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 helicopter.

736 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

736 Naval Air Squadron is a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy. It was most recently recommissioned at RNAS Culdrose on 6 June 2013 to fly the BAE Systems Hawk T1, following the disbandment of the Fleet Requirements and Aircraft Direction Unit (FRADU).

814 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

814 Naval Air Squadron or 814 NAS, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It is currently equipped with the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 anti-submarine warfare helicopter and is based at Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose in Cornwall. The squadron was formed in December 1938 and has been disbanded and reformed several times.

825 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA.2.

705 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

705 Naval Air Squadron was first formed as a flight in 1936 from No 447 Flight Royal Air Force and operated Swordfish torpedo bombers from battlecruisers. It achieved squadron status in 1939 before being disbanded in 1940. The squadron was re-formed briefly in 1945 and then again in 1947 as a fleet requirements unit to evaluate naval use of helicopters. Since the 1950s the squadron has been involved in the basic training of helicopter aircrew, and currently forms part of No. 1 Flying Training School at RAF Shawbury.

824 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

824 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron based at RNAS Culdrose and currently operating the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 Operational Conversion Unit. It trains aircrew in Anti-Submarine warfare

703 Naval Air Squadron Military unit

703 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy was formed as a long-range catapult squadron on 3 March 1942 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent. During the Cold War, it was reformed as an experimental trials unit, and then as a helicopter training squadron. Since 2003, the squadron has formed the Royal Naval wing of the Defence Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Barkston Heath.

References

  1. ↑ "702 Naval Air Squadron | Royal Navy". Archived from the original on 4 October 2011.
  2. ↑ "The Lynx Wildcat evolution - Royal Navy". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "Flying with wings and fond farewell at 702 Naval Air Squadron - Royal Navy". www.royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "History of 702 NAS at the Royal Navy website" . Retrieved 3 February 2010.

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