RAF History Flashcards
when was the RAF founded?
1st April 1948 - The world’s first and oldest independent air force
Which two forces amalgamated to form the RAF?
The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS)
Who was the farther of the RAF?
Lord Trenchard
When was RADAR developed?
1930s
When was the Battle of Britain
July-October 1940
What was the RAF’s first jet fighter?
Gloster Meteor
What was significant about the English Electric Lightning?
First RAF supersonic fighter, first to break Mach 2
When was the Falklands War?
1982
When was Operation Desert Storm? (against Iraq)
When was Operation Desert Storm? (against Iraq)
What is the Harrier an example of?
STOVL (Vertical/Short Take Off and Landing) aircraft
When was the first powered aircraft flight?
1903
Who designed and flew the first powered aircraft?
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Which aircraft were used in the Battle of Britain?
Spitfire and Hurricane
What was 617 Squadron better known as?
The Dambusters
What did the Battle of Britain air campaign achieve?
The delay and subsequent indefinite postponement of Hitler’s plans for an invasion of the United Kingdom
The largest RAF effort during WWII?
The strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command.
What was the smuts review?
As a results of this review what was formed and on what date?
A review of the air defence of Britain following the Germans bombing London using air platforms.
The Royal Air Force, 1st April 1918
During the 1930’s the RAF set new records for which three things?
1) altitude
2) long distance
3) speed
In WWII what 4 commands were set up?
- Fighter command
- Bomber command
- Coastal command
- Training command
What was fighter commands role?
What was bomber commands role?
What does RADAR stand for?
When was the RAF regiment formed?
The defence of Britain
Strategic bombing
Radio detection and ranging
1942
What was operation Plainfire
The UK’s contribution to the lifting of the Russian blockade of the city on 2 May, the RAF provided 17% of the total supplies delivered during the event, using Avro Yorks, Douglas Dakotas.
What was the RAFs primary role during the cold war?
The defense of Western Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union
What was operation Musketeer?
the Anglo-French plan or the invasion of the Suez canal zone to capture the Suez Canal during the Suez Crisis in 1956. In which the RAF played a large role, with aircraft operating from RAF Akrotiri and RAF Nicosia on Cyprus and RAF Luqa and RAF Hal Far on Malta.
One of the largest actions undertaken by the RAF during the cold war was the air campaign during the 1982 Falklands War, what did this involve?
the RAF operated alongside the Fleet Air Arm. During the war, RAF aircraft were deployed in the mid-Atlantic at RAF Ascension Island and a detachment from No. 1 Squadron was deployed with the Royal Navy, operating from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. RAF pilots also flew missions using the Royal Navy’s Sea Harriers in the air-to-air combat role
Which 7 primary conflicts has the RAF been involved in modern history (since 1990)?
- The Gulf War (1991)
- The Kosovo War (1999)
- The War in Afghanistan (2001)
- The Invasion and War in Iraq (2003)
- The Intervention in Libya (2011)
Since 1990 there has been four major defence reviews.
Name them along with the date of their publication.
What 4 key things have resulted from these reviews?
- Options for Change (1990)
- Strategic Defence Review (1998)
- Delivering Security in a Changing World (2003)
- Strategic Defence and Security Review (2010)
- Reductions in manpower (Approx. -5000)
- Decreased defence spending
- Cancellation of the BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft was cancelled due to overspending and missing deadlines.
- Early retirement of the Joint Force Harrier aircraft, the Harrier GR7/GR9
What has become a key defence and security concern of the RAF in recent years?
Securing the skies:
In recent years fighter aircraft on Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) have been increasingly required to scramble in response to efforts made by the Russian Air Force to approach British airspace.
