Royal Air Force
(often abbreviated to RAF) is the air_force of the United_Kingdom.History of the RAF
The Royal_Flying_Corps was formed by Royal Warrant on May_13, 1912 superseding the Air Battalion of the Royal_Engineers. The Royal_Naval_Air_Service was formed shortly after the outbreak of World_War_I. Both services saw heavy action during the war. The two services were amalgamated on April_1, 1918 to form the Royal Air Force under the supervision of the Air_Ministry. Between the World Wars the RAF was responsible for mail and armed forces services, but saw little military action. Of particular note was 1928's air evacuation of civilians from Afghanistan, the first operation of its kind. This period also saw the formation of the major flying schools that still provide its service personnel. An important event during that time period was a reorganisation of the RAF's major commands. In 1936, the familiar Coastal_Command, Fighter_Command and Bomber Command were formed. In 1937 the Naval Air Branch was returned to the Royal_Navy, and was soon renamed the Fleet_Air_Arm. A defining period of the RAF's existence came during the Battle_of_Britain. Over the summer of 1940 the RAF held off the Luftwaffe in an air war, perhaps the first of its kind. This contributed immensely to the delay and cancellation of Germany's planned invasion of England (Operation_Sea_Lion) and helped to turn the tide of World_War_II. (See also British_military_history_of_World_War_II.) The largest RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Towards the end of the war the RAF Bomber Command was able to mount large scale night raids involving up to 1000 heavy four-engined bombers. There exists considerable historical controversy about the ethics of such large attacks against German cities (see Bombing_of_Dresden_in_World_War_II). The RAF did not have a prominent role in the Korean_War, with only a few Flying_boats taking part. However, the Suez_Crisis in 1956 saw a large RAF role, with aircraft mainly flying from Cyprus and Malta. The Konfrontasi against Indonesia in the early 1960s did see use of RAF aircraft, but due to a combination of deft diplomacy and selective ignoring of certain events by both sides, it never developed into a full scale war. In 1968 the RAF experienced its largest change in administrative structure since 1936 when Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command were combined into the new Strike_Command which exists today. The end of the RAF presence in the east of Asia came in 1971 when the Far East Air Force was disbanded on October_31. The next large conflict involving the RAF was the Falklands_War in 1982. Its most high profile missions in this conflict were the famous Black Buck raids using Avro_Vulcans flying from Ascension_Island. However, the service did many other things during the conflict, with its helicopters in the Falklands themselves, its Harrier GR3s flying from HMS ''Hermes'', its fighter aircraft protecting Ascension, maritime patrol aircraft scanning the South Atlantic, and tanker and transport fleet helping in the enormous logistical effort required for the war. In 1991 over 100 RAF aircraft took part in the Gulf_War, in virtually every conceivable role. It marked an important turning point in the RAF's history as it was the first time the service had used precision guided munitions in significant amounts. It was initially thought that the RAF would not need to use them, as most of its bombing missions would be at low level. After heavy losses, bombing was switched to medium level, and the venerable Blackburn_Buccaneer was rushed to the theatre to provide laser designation for the RAF's Tornados. The end of the decade saw the much smaller Kosovo_War in 1999, which confirmed the shift towards precision guided munitions. The Kosovo conflict was remarkable in that it was the first time a war of such size had been fought with no loss of life on one side. Although smaller than the Gulf War, it was still a medium sized war. In the 21st century the RAF is trying to keep up with the technological lead of the United_States_Air_Force. Two conflicts have been fought so far, with the RAF taking very much a supporting role in the 2001 conquest of Afghanistan, but centre stage in the 2003 Gulf_War_II. The latter conflict again saw over 100 fixed wing aircraft deployed, with all weapon firing aircraft capable of dropping smart munitions for the first time. Provided adequate funding is provided for the RAF over upcoming years it should continue to be one of the most potent air forces in the world. It has a proud record and heritage, and it has powerful aircraft coming on stream in the near future.Current RAF Aircraft
Many types of aircraft currently serve with the RAF, although there is less variety in the order of battle of the organisation than in previous decades due to the increasing cost of military systems. The types currently in the RAF inventory are:Future aircraft
This list includes aircraft soon to be deployed or in development for the RAF.RAF on the Ground
The RAF_Regiment was created during World_War_II to defend RAF airfields from attack. They operate surface-to-air missiles to defend against air attack, and have infantry and light armoured units to protect against ground attack. In the early days, machine_guns were potent enough to severely damage most aircraft. As more advanced aircraft were able to fly higher, they could only be shot down through the use of high-powered anti-aircraft artillery. With the advent of supersonic aircraft, guided surface-to-air_missiles were needed. These are either heat-seeking or radar guided. Both types of guided missile may be "spoofed" or "decoyed" away from the target aircraft. Radar guided missiles are spoofed by chaff, which is a small "cloud" of short strips of metal which produce false radar returns. Heat-seeking missiles are spoofed by flares, which are produce false heat sources. Modern military aircraft carry both systems, and also warning receivers that inform the pilot if the aircraft is "locked on" by a radar, or targeted by a heat seeking missile. The RAF developed the Rapier_missile system, comparable to the American Patriot system. Missiles are automatically launched by a ground control system that can recognize, prioritise and target up to 80 aircraft at once.See also
External links
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