The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by merging the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Following the Allied victory over the Central Powers in 1918, the RAF emerged as the largest air force in the world at the time. Since its formation, the RAF has played a significant role in British military history. In particular, during the Second World War, the RAF established air superiority over Hermann Göring's Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, and led the allied strategic bombing effort.
The British Armed Forces are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, support international peacekeeping efforts and provide humanitarian aid.
Glasgow Airport, also known as Glasgow International Airport, formerly Abbotsinch Airport, is an international airport in Scotland. It is located in Paisley, Renfrewshire, 8.6 nautical miles west of Glasgow city centre. In 2019, the airport handled 8.84 million passengers, an 8.4% annual decrease, making it the second-busiest in Scotland, after Edinburgh Airport, and the ninth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom.
Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World War but is due to close by December 2027.
Royal Air Force Marham, commonly abbreviated 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 Lossiemouth or more commonly RAF Lossiemouth is a military airfield located on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland.
Royal Air Force Leeming or more simply RAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force station located near Leeming, North Yorkshire, England. It was opened in 1940 and was jointly used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Between 1950 and 1991, it operated mostly as a training base with Quick Reaction Force (QRF) Panavia Tornado F3 fighters based there in the latter stages of the Cold War and into the early 21st century. Since 2006, it has become the home of the deployable RAF communications cadre and the home of No. 135 Expeditionary Air Wing.
The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refuelling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 16 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 68 aircraft, of which 51 had been delivered by 30 November 2020. A version of the A330 MRTT, the EADS/Northrop Grumman KC-45, was selected by the United States Air Force for its aerial tanker replacement programme, but the programme was cancelled.
The Royal Air Force Museum London is located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, in North London's Borough of Barnet. It includes five buildings and hangars showing the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force. It is part of the Royal Air Force Museum.
Royal Air Force Mildenhall or more simply RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force (USAF) operations, and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing.
Royal Air Force Fylingdales or more simply RAF Fylingdales is a Royal Air Force station on Snod Hill in the North York Moors, England. Its motto is Vigilamus. It is a radar base and is also part of the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS). As part of intelligence-sharing arrangements between the United States and United Kingdom, data collected at RAF Fylingdales are shared between the two countries. Its primary purpose is to give the British and US governments warning of an impending ballistic missile attack. A secondary role is the detection and tracking of orbiting objects; Fylingdales is part of the United States Space Surveillance Network. As well as its early-warning and space-tracking roles, Fylingdales has a third function – the Satellite Warning Service for the UK. It keeps track of spy satellites used by other countries, so that secret activities in the UK can be carried out when they are not overhead. The armed services, defence manufacturers and research organisations, including universities, take advantage of this facility.
The Boeing Chinook is a large, tandem rotor helicopter operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). A series of variants based on the United States Army's Boeing CH-47 Chinook, the RAF Chinook fleet is the largest outside the United States. RAF Chinooks have seen extensive service in the Falklands War, the Balkans, Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport, formerly Halfpenny Green Airport and Wolverhampton Business Airport, locally Bobbington Airport, is a small, 400-acre (1.6 km2) airport situated near the village of Bobbington, South Staffordshire. The airport is situated 8 mi (13 km) south-west of Wolverhampton, the city which it serves.
The planning for the future of the Royal Air Force involves supporting ongoing British military operations, the introduction of new aircraft types including unmanned aerial vehicles, greater focus on network enabled capability and increasing interoperability with members of NATO, team tempest, and mixed crewed fighters. From the updated plans of the RAF (2021) state that the new initiative will focus on becoming carbon net-zero, with strategies such as using sustainable aviation fuels in aircraft. The RAF also are looking into investing in the maintenance of the aircraft to ensure success of future operations.
AirTanker Services Limited, incorporated in England and Wales on 14 July 2007, is a private limited company in the United Kingdom, operating as AirTanker, a British aircraft leasing and operating company. Under contract to the British Government, it provides a fleet of fourteen Airbus A330 MRTT multi-role tanker transport aircraft, known by the British military service name Voyager, to the Royal Air Force (RAF) as its primary tanker aircraft for aerial refuelling, troop and cargo transport, and aeromedical roles. For additional revenue, AirTanker operates air charter flights using reserve aircraft, operating as a civilian airline.
Royal Air Force Cosford or RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, England just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton.
The Battle of Al Waki Market took place in August 2007 in Al Waki Market in Basra, Iraq, between No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment and approximately 50 members of the Iraqi insurgency. It is notable as the battle for which the first Military Cross was awarded to an airman of the Royal Air Force.
Robert Alexander Courts is a British politician and barrister serving as Solicitor General for England and Wales since December 2023. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been MP for Witney since 2016. He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport in the Johnson government from 2020 to 2022 and served as Chair of the Defence Select Committee from October to December 2023.
