No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1955-1965 1970-1986 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Role | Bomber training |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Gaydon RAF Marham |
No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit was an Operational conversion unit of the Royal Air Force which existed between 1955 and 1986
The unit was first formed at RAF Gaydon (now Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre) on 21 February 1955 (shortly after Gaydon reopened following expansion) operating a number of aircraft including English Electric Canberra T.4s, Vickers Valiant B.1s and Handley Page Victor B.1 & B.2s (two of the three V bombers) and was disbanded still at Gaydon with the Victor element becoming the Tanker Training Flight. [1]
History of the Tanker Training Flight
Formed at RAF Marham operating various marks of the Victor and a de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, being disbanded on 13 October 1969 becoming the Victor Training Unit. [2]
232 OCU was reformed at RAF Marham on 6 February 1970 by merging the Victor (B.2) Training Flight and the Victor Training Unit and was disbanded on 4 April 1986 still at Marham. [1]
History of the Victor (B.2) Training Flight
Formed at RAF Cottesmore (now Kendrew Barracks) on 1 April 1962, operating Victor B.2's, disbanded eight years later at RAF Wittering. [3]
History of the Victor Training Unit
Formed at RAF Cottesmore during September 1961, operating B.2's, disbanded less than a year still at Cottesmore. [3]
The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Main Force. The three models of strategic bomber, known collectively as the V class, were the Vickers Valiant, which first flew in 1951 and entered service in 1955; the Avro Vulcan, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1956; and the Handley Page Victor, which first flew in 1952 and entered service in 1957. The V Bomber force reached its peak in June 1964 with 50 Valiants, 70 Vulcans and 39 Victors in service.
The Vickers Valiant is a British high-altitude jet bomber, and was part of the Royal Air Force's "V bomber" nuclear weapon equipped strategic deterrent in the 1950s and 1960s. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in response to Specification B.35/46 issued by the Air Ministry for a nuclear-armed jet-powered bomber. The Valiant was the first of the V bombers to become operational, and was followed by the Handley Page Victor and the Avro Vulcan, which were more advanced. The Valiant has the distinction of being the only V bomber to have dropped live nuclear weapons.
The Handley Page Victor is a British jet-powered strategic bomber, developed and produced by Handley Page, which served during the Cold War. It was the third and final V bomber to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two being the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. The Victor had been developed as part of the United Kingdom's airborne nuclear deterrent. In 1968, it was retired from the nuclear mission following the discovery of fatigue cracks, which had been exacerbated by the RAF's adoption of a low-altitude flight profile to avoid interception.
Royal Air Force Marham, or more simply RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia.
Royal Air Force Station Cottesmore or more simply RAF Cottesmore is a former Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. On 15 December 2009, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced that the station would close in 2013 as part of defence spending cuts, along with the retirement of the Harrier GR9 and the disbandment of Joint Force Harrier. The formal closing ceremony took place on 31 March 2011, and the airfield became a satellite of RAF Wittering until March 2012.
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No. 231 Operational Conversion Unit was a Royal Air Force Operational conversion unit.
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Flying Boat Training Squadron RAF is a former Squadron of the Royal Air Force which was operational between 1931 and 1956 through various names.
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