Thomas, as a newly commissioned pilot with 801 Naval Air Squadron, participated in a deployment to the Air Combat Manoeuvring Installation (ACMI) at Decimomannu, Cagliari, Sardinia, under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Nigel “Sharkey” Ward. The detachment involved tri-national fighter combat training exercises against U.S. Air Force F-15 “Bitburg Eagles” and U.S. Navy Aggressor F-5Es. Despite the technical superiority of the opposing aircraft, the Sea Harrier pilots, including Thomas, achieved notable success through disciplined handling and strategic acumen.[5]
Falklands war
Thomas embarked on Invincible on 3 April 1982 for the journey South.[6][7]
Engagement on 1 May 1982
Flight Lieutenants Steve Thomas and Paul Barton were on a Combat Air Patrol West of Invincible over West Falkland, at approximately 35,000 ft, when they were vectored toward two Argentine Mirage IIIEA fighters to the North. Barton engaged, launching an AIM‑9L Sidewinder which destroyed the rearmost Mirage.[8] The pilot, Lt Rubén Perona, ejected safely. This was the first British air‑to‑air kill since the Korean War.[9]
Thomas fired a Sidewinder at the second Mirage just as it disappeared into cloud, but the missile failed to detonate. The pilot, Capt Gustavo Cuerva, now dangerously low on fuel, flew to Stanley, but was shot down and killed by Argentine anti‑aircraft defences while attempting to land.[8][10]
21 May 1982
Lieutenant-Commander Ward, was leading a division of three aircraft on a Combat Air Patrol, Southwest of San Carlos Water with Steve Thomas and Alisdair Craig. Two Pucaras operating from Goose Green were detected by HMS Brilliant and the Harriers were vectored to intercept. One of the Pucaras was attacked from abeam by Thomas and Craig without being hit. Simultaneously, Ward attacked the second flown by Major Carlos Tomba from behind with his cannon, and shot it down. Tomba ejected from the Pucara at very low-level and walked back to Goose Green.[11][12]
Later that day, Thomas as Wards wingman, were flying a low-level combat air patrol west of San Carlos. Ward spotted two Argentine Air Force Mirage V "Daggers" approaching at low level heading towards the landing beaches around San Carlos. Ward flew head-on between them, forcing them to turn away. This brought them directly in front of Thomas, who shot down both aircraft with Sidewinder missiles.[8] A third Dagger, approaching from behind, fired on Ward but missed, Ward then turned and destroyed it with a Sidewinder. All three Argentine pilots; Major Piuma, Captain Donadille, and Lieutenant Senn, ejected safely.[8][13] A fourth Dagger evaded interception and attacked Brilliant, causing minor damage.
On the flight back to Invincible Thomas went on to say
As we reached Port Howard we went on either side of the settlement, to avoid the Argentine troop positions there but I must have flown over one of the outlying machine gun post because suddenly I saw orange flashes coming past me. A split second later there was the sound of a ‘thump’ on the radio, one of my fuel pumps failed and both of my radios were out.
When I reached the carrier, I went into the hover and there was the FDO in his yellow jacket pointing at the spot on which I was to land. After I landed, I found the aircraft had been hit in the avionics compartment at the rear by three 0.50 Cal rounds. Two had gone clean through the fuselage and come out the top and one had lodged in the TACAN control box. From the direction in which the bullets hit, the enemy machine gun must have been almost exactly underneath me.
Three Sea Harriers, Lieutenant Nigel "Sharkey" Ward (XZ451), Lieutenant Steve Thomas (XZ453), and Flight Lieutenant Ian Mortimer (XZ459), each armed with either 2.75-inch FFAR rockets or cluster bombs, strafed the Argentine gun positions.[16][17]
Second Lieutenant Claudio Braghini, Commander of the Argentine 35mm AA guns, recalled:
We had not yet finished taking cover when a Harrier emerged from between the hills and dropped a bomb on the gun position, but with such poor aim that half of the cluster fell in the water and the rest about 80 metres from the guns.[18]
Corporal John Geddes of Patrols Platoon, 2Para, later wrote:
The cluster bombs the Harriers had been carrying killed fish as they exploded in the sea.[19]
The Sea Harriers, however, made much more of an impact, at least psychologically. As one of the British company commanders put it: ‘They frightened me shitless, never mind the Argentinians’. Some people have seen the Harrier strike as the decisive action of the battle. The cluster bombs and rockets made a lot of noise, but did little collateral damage - they just moved a lot of mud sideways, as another of the pilots put it. Nevertheless, coming at a time when the Argentinians had their backs to the wall having just withdrawn into Goose Green, it seems reasonable to agree with the British battlegroup commander Chris Keeble, that the Harriers finally cracked the Argentinians’ will to fight.[20]
1 June
On 1 June 1982, Steve Thomas and Ward were in the climb returning to Invincible after combat air patrol when they were alerted by HMSMinerva(F45) to a radar contact 40 miles to the Northwest. The pair turned towards the position and acquired a target using their Blue Fox radar at a range of 38 miles and an altitude of 4,000 feet below their position. The target, a four-engine Lockheed C-130 Hercules, was heading West towards Argentina while descending. As the Harriers closed, Ward visually identified the aircraft and engaged immediately. His first missile missed, but the second struck between the starboard engines. He then fired 240 rounds from his aircraft's cannons, causing the Hercules to crash into the sea, killing all seven crew members.[8]
Summary
Thomas flew over fifty operational missions during the Falklands War, and was credited with three air-to-air victories and taking part in ten enemy aircraft losses. Despite being one of the least experienced Sea Harrier pilots at the time, with fewer than 200 flight hours on the type, he was the only British pilot to shoot down three fast jets during the conflict. For his actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry.[21][22][23]
After the Falklands War
Thomas subsequently served at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (AAEE), Boscombe Down as a test pilot until 1988, working on Upgrade of FRS1 to the F/A 2, featuring the Blue Vixen pulse-doppler radar and the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile as well as the Air-to-Air Refueling (AAR) Probe.[24].These trials and tests were critical in developing and refining new aircraft and weapon systems and improving the capabilities of existing ones. The AAEE at Boscombe Down played a vital role in ensuring the effectiveness and safety of British military aviation during this period.[25]
Later life
Stephen retired from the Royal Navy in 1989 with the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.[26] He embarked on a civilian aviation career, starting as a First Officer and then becoming Captain at Air UK, a regional airline. He flew the BAe 146 Regional Jetliner on European routes from Manchester and later operated Boeing 737-400 for Air UK Leisure from Luton Airport. After KLM bought Air UK, he moved to the Netherlands and served as a Captain on Boeing 767-300 ER on South American routes.[27]
Lieutenant Thomas, (801 NAS), a first tour pilot, flew 50 combat sorties and was involved in four separate actions against the Argentine Air Force. In each of these he acquitted himself exceptionally well showing disregard for his own safety. During these actions, one aircraft was destroyed by Lieutenant Thomas. On one occasion he and his partner were attacked by three Mirages firing missiles, but they turned the tables by shooting down two and damaging the third. On a second occasion, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and communications lost, despite which he recovered safely to the ship. In two of the actions he was left with barely sufficient fuel but returned safely to the ship 150 miles away with professional skill and calmness. In each of the actions his excellent radar handling and teamwork were decisive factors. This young aviator displayed enormous courage, determination, good judgment and aggression in the face of the enemy.
↑ Smith, Colin R; Wilton, David L; Burden, Rodney A; Draper, Michael A; Rough, Douglas A (1986). Falklands: the Air War. British Aviation Research Group. pp.208–223. ISBN978-0-85368-842-6.
↑ Freedman, Lawrence (2005). The Official History of the Falklands Campaign: War and Diplomacy. Routledge. pp.318–320.
↑ Polmar, Norman (2005). The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet. Naval Institute Press.
↑ Rodríguez Mottino, Hernán C. (2007). Comandos en acción: Conflicto del Atlántico Sur. Argentinian Army General Staff. p.196.
↑ Geddes, John (2008), Spearhead Assault: Blood, Guts, and Glory on the Falklands Frontlines, Arrow, p. 193.
↑ Spenser, Fotz-Gibbon (2001). Not mentioned in despatches: the history and mythology of the Battle of Goose Green. Cambridge: Lutterworth Press. p.174-176. ISBN978-0718830168.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
Shores, Christopher (1994). Aces High: A Further Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Air Forces in WWII, Volume 2. Grub Street Publishing. ISBN978-1898697008.
Harrison-Thomas, Stephen (2023). Navigating The Skies: Comprehensive Insights Into Aviation Management. Primedia eLaunch LLC. ISBN979-8-89074-049-6.
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