Organisation and equipment in 1989
At the end of the
Cold War in
1989 , the
Royal Air Force (RAF) structure was as follows:
The
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) was an
air chief marshal (ACM), who was the professional head in command the Royal Air Force. He was a member of the
Chiefs of Staff Committee , the
Defence Council , and the
Air Force Board , which administered the Royal Air Force. The following positions were part of the Air Force Board:
[1]
The manned strength of the Royal Air Force in 1989 was 93,300 personnel.
[1]
Royal Air Force Strike Command (RAF Strike Command, or RAF STC), was the main and primary
command of the Royal Air Force , and was in charge of all operational (front-line or combat) Royal Air Force units and assets in the
United Kingdom . Its Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) was
Air Chief Marshal Sir
Patrick Hine , who double-hatted as
NATO , Commander-in-Chief
United Kingdom Air Forces (CINCUKAIR), which was a major subordinate command under NATO's
Supreme Allied Commander Europe .
[2]
[3] In 1989, RAF Strike Command consisted of three major
operational groups , along with its subordinate
wings ,
squadrons and minor units; and also had administrative control of the
Royal Observer Corps (ROC), which was tasked with
nuclear warfare analysis and manned the UK's
nuclear fallout warning service.
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[1]
Tornado GR1A of
No. 13 Squadron .
Harrier GR3 of
No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit .
Jaguar GR1A of
No. 6 Squadron (foreground) and
No. 41 Squadron (background).
WE.177 free-fall nuclear bomb (training example), as available for the
tactical nuclear strike role.
No. 1 Group Royal Air Force (1 Gp RAF) was the
Royal Air Force group commanded by
Air Vice-Marshal (AVM)
Charles John Thomson (until February
1989 ), then AVM
Ronald Andrew Fellowes Wilson (from February 1989), headquartered at
RAF Upavon in Wiltshire. 1 Group contained varied aircraft, with the majority being
strike aircraft . The
group's main focus would have been bombing raids on advancing
Soviet ground forces in
Northern Germany as directed by NATO's
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SAC-E). The group fielded six
squadrons of
bomber aircraft , which could be armed with
WE.177 free-fall
tactical nuclear bombs , along with aerial refuelling
tanker aircraft to ensure that the armed aircraft could deliver nuclear strikes deep inside enemy territory.
[1]
[7]
Note 1: Unit had a nuclear strike role with
WE.177
tactical nuclear weapons .
[13]
No. 1 Group RAF also administered the flying units detached to
Belize and the
Falkland Islands :
Graphical overview of No. 1 Group RAF in 1989. Note: only the states under the operational control of the group are shown .
No. 11 (Air Defence) Group
Tornado GR1 of
No. 27 Squadron .
No. 11 (Air Defence) Group Royal Air Force (11 Gp RAF) was the
Royal Air Force group commanded by
Air Vice-Marshal
Roger Hewlett Palin (until March) then
William (Bill) John Wratten (from March), headquartered at
RAF Bentley Priory . 11 Group was to defend the United Kingdom against all aerial threats, and fielded exclusively
fighter aircraft and one
air defence missile squadron. In 1989, the Royal Air Force was speedily replacing its ageing
Phantom air defence
fighter aircraft with the more modern and more capable
Tornado F3 , whose superior supersonic acceleration, powerful
radar and
beyond-visual-range missiles made it the ideal platform to intercept and destroy
Soviet
bombers intent on attacking the United Kingdom. In case of war, No. 11 (Air Defence) Group would have taken command of the five UK-based
Hawk T1 training
squadrons , which, armed with
AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles would have become the last line of defence against Soviet air attacks.
[15]
[16]
[1]
Jaguar GR1A of
No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit RAF .
No. 18 (Maritime) Group Royal Air Force (No. 18 Group RAF, or 18Gp RAF) was the
Royal Air Force group commanded by
Air Marshal Andrew L. Roberts (until August) then David Emmerson (from August), headquartered at the
Northwood Headquarters . During war, the Commander of No. 18 Group would also assume the titles of Commander
Maritime Air Eastern Atlantic (COMAIREASTLANT) and Commander
Allied Maritime Air Force Channel (COMAIRCHAN). In case of war, No. 18 Group's Maritime Air Region North would have assumed the titles of NATO Commander Maritime Air Northern Sub-Area (COMMAIRNORLANT) and NATO Commander Maritime Air Nore Sub-Area Channel (COMAIRNORECHAN), and taken command of
Norwegian Air Force and
US Navy
P-3 Orion
anti-submarine aircraft at
Andøya Air Station and
Naval Air Station Keflavik respectively, as well as the Keflavik-based
US Air Force
F-15C/D Eagles to prevent vessels of the
Soviet Navy 's
Northern Fleet from passing through the
GIUK gap .
[10]
[7]
[1]
[18]
The Maritime Headquarters units provided additional reserve personnel to man the
operations rooms and
communications centres that directed 18 Group and the
Royal Navy .
[19]
The two Maritime Air Regions were amalgamated in
1987 , and Pitrevie became the backup to Northwood HQ, becoming the location of
Air Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland only.
[20]
No. 18 (Maritime) Group , group headquarters,
Northwood Headquarters , doubled as
NATO Commander
Maritime Air Eastern Atlantic (COMAIREASTLANT) and Commander
Allied Maritime Air Force Channel (COMAIRCHAN)
[21]
[8]
[12]
Maritime Air Region North ,
RAF Pitreavie Castle ,
Rosyth , commanded by an
Air Vice-Marshal , who doubled as RAF
Air Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland ,
[22] and
NATO Commander Maritime Air Northern Sub-Area (COMMAIRNORLANT) and Commander Maritime Air Nore Sub-Area Channel (COMAIRNORECHAN)
Maritime Air Region South ,
Admiralty House, Mount Wise , Plymouth, commanded by an
Air Vice-Marshal , who doubled as NATO Commander Maritime Air Central Sub-Area (COMMAIRCENTLANT) and Commander Maritime Air Plymouth Sub-Area Channel (COMAIRPLYMCHAN)
Search and Rescue Wing ,
RAF Finningley
[25]
No. 22 Squadron RAF —
SAR , three
flights of 2x
Wessex HC2 at
RAF Chivenor ,
RAF Leuchars ,
RAF Valley
No. 202 Squadron RAF — SAR, squadron moved to
RAF Boulmer in 1989, six flights of 2x
Sea King HAR3 at
RAF Boulmer ,
RAF Leconfield ,
RAF Coltishall ,
RAF Brawdy ,
RAF Lossiemouth ,
RAF Manston (flight moved to
RAF Wattisham in 1989
Search and Rescue Training Unit
Search and Rescue Engineering
No. 1 (County of Hertford) Maritime Headquarters Unit,
RAF Northwood (augmented HQ 18 Group)
No. 2 (City of Edinburgh) Maritime Headquarters Unit ,
Edinburgh
[26] (augmented HQ Northern Maritime Air Region and
RAF Pitreavie Castle operations centre after 1987)
No. 3 (County of Devon) Maritime Headquarters Unit,
RAF Mount Batten (augmented Southern Maritime Air Region)
Note 1: Unit had a nuclear strike role with
WE.177
tactical nuclear weapons .
[13]
The
Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was commanded by the
Commandant Royal Observer Corps with the rank of
Air Commodore , and headquartered at
RAF Bentley Priory . The corps was tasked with detecting and reporting
nuclear explosions and associated
fallout as the field force for the
United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation , (UKWMO). By the late 1980s, the ROC comprised 69 professional full-time officers, approximately 10,500 civilian part-time volunteers, and over 100
Ministry of Defence (MoD) civilian support staff.
Phantom FGR2 of
No. 92 Squadron prior to landing at
RAF Wildenrath in the mid-1980s
Royal Air Force Germany (RAF Germany, or RAFG), a major
command of the Royal Air Force , consisted of Royal Air Force units located in
West Germany as part of the United Kingdom's commitment to the defence of Western Europe during the
Cold War . In wartime, the
air marshal in command of RAFG would also have assumed the command of
NATO 's
Second Allied Tactical Air Force . RAFG's main missions were to protect the
British Army of the Rhine from
Warsaw Pact air attacks, and bomb hostile armour formation. In case Soviet spearheads would have breached the
Weser -line on the western side of the
Upper Weser Valley , RAF Germany was trained and equipped to attack enemy troop concentrations to the east of the Weser with
tactical nuclear weapons .
[27]
[28]
To fulfil its mission, RAFG had a varied mix of
fixed-wing jet aircraft and
rotary-wing aircraft under its command:
Phantom FGR2 (
fighter /
ground attack /
reconnaissance ),
Tornado GR1 (
fighter-bomber / reconnaissance), helicopters, and
Harrier GR5
vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) (ground attack / reconnaissance). As the most forward deployed units, the Harriers would have
dispersed to auxiliary airfields, forest clearings, and
highway strips , during the transition to war to protect them from Soviet air attacks. The British Army's 38th Engineer Regiment and the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxF) Regiment's
No. 2624 (County of Oxford) Field Squadron would have supported the Harrier Force at these dispersed locations.
Royal Air Force Germany , command headquarters,
RAF Rheindahlen , doubles as commander of
NATO 's
Second Allied Tactical Air Force
[7]
[8]
[12]
[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
[33]
RAF Germany Photographic Reproduction Unit, RAF Rheindahlen
RAF Bruggen
No. 9 Squadron —
tactical nuclear strike ,
ground attack /
reconnaissance , 12x
Tornado GR1 note 1
No. 14 Squadron — tactical nuclear strike, ground attack / reconnaissance, 12x Tornado GR1note 1
No. 17 Squadron — tactical nuclear strike, ground attack / reconnaissance, 12x Tornado GR1note 1
No. 31 Squadron — tactical nuclear strike, ground attack / reconnaissance, 12x Tornado GR1note 1
No. 37 Squadron RAF Regiment — air defence,
Rapier launch stations
No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment — light armour,
Spartan ,
Scorpion
No. 11 Signals Unit
No. 431 Maintenance Unit RAF — airframe repair
RAF Gütersloh
RAF Laarbruch
No. 2 Squadron — reconnaissance,
Jaguar GR1A / T2A , (replaced with Tornado GR1A from January 1989)
[34]
No. 15 Squadron —
tactical nuclear strike ,
ground attack /
reconnaissance , 12x Tornado GR1note 1
No. 16 Squadron — tactical nuclear strike, ground attack / reconnaissance, 12x Tornado GR1note 1
No. 20 Squadron — tactical nuclear strike, ground attack / reconnaissance, 12x Tornado GR1note 1
No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment — light armour, Spartan, Scorpion
No. 26 Squadron RAF Regiment — air defence, Rapier launch stations
RAF Wildenrath
No. 4 Wing RAF Regiment ,
RAF Wildenrath , administrative control of
West Germany -based Rapier squadrons defending
Royal Air Force Germany airfields
No. 33 Wing RAF Regiment ,
RAF Gütersloh , administrative control of West Germany-based light armour squadrons defending Royal Air Force Germany airfields
No. 54 Signals Unit ,
Celle — co-located with
14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) , Royal Signals
No. 735 Signals Unit ,
Borgholzhausen
Note 1: Unit with nuclear strike role with 18x
WE.177
tactical nuclear weapons .
[13]
Hawk T1 of the
RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine prior to landing at
RAF Farnborough .
Royal Air Force Support Command (RAF Support Command, or RAF SupC), a main
command of the Royal Air Force , was commanded by an
air marshal , and headquartered at
RAF Brampton in Cambridgeshire. During war, the
command would have moved to its Emergency War Headquarter to a bunker at
RAF Holmpton . Support Command had been created in
1973 by merging
RAF Maintenance Command ,
[35] with
No. 90 (Signals) Group . In
1977 , Support Command absorbed
Training Command making it additionally responsible for all RAF ground and aircrew training.
In
1989 , RAF Support Command was responsible for all signals under, logistics (Movements), maintenance (Air Officer Commanding Maintenance Units and Air Officer Maintenance, RAF Support Command), personnel management, ground transport (MT), supply, basic flying training, ground crew training (Air Officer Commanding Training Units and Air Officer Training, RAF Support Command), ordnance, recruitment, medical services, airbase services, IT systems, etc.
Air Officer Commanding (AOC) were
air vice-marshals . Below follows a provisional, unverified, partial listing of this large part of the Royal Air Force.
AOC Training Units and AO Training
The
Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Training Units and Air Officer (AO) Training was an
air vice-marshal (AVM) responsible for all training establishments of the Royal Air Force. The AOC Training Units and AO Training administered the following training establishments and units:
Air Officer Commanding Training Units and Air Officer Training
[8]
[12]
[36]
AOC Air Cadets & Commandant Air Training Corps
Air Officer Commanding Air Cadets & Commandant Air Training Corps , air commodore,
RAF Syerston
[1]
Air Cadet Organisation (ACO)
Girls Venture Corps Air Cadets (GVC AC)
Air Training Corps (ATC)
[1]
Air Experience Flights (AEFs) —
Chipmunk T10 elementary trainer
No. 1 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Manston
No. 2 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Hurn
No. 3 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Filton (moved to
RAF Hullavington in June 1989)
No. 4 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Exeter
No. 5 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
Cambridge Airport
No. 6 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Abingdon
No. 7 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Newton
No. 8 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Shawbury
No. 9 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Finningley
No. 10 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Woodvale
No. 11 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Leeming
No. 12 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Turnhouse
No. 13 Air Experience Flight RAF ,
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Syerston
Volunteer Gliding Squadrons (VGS)
28x Volunteer Gliding Schools
University Air Squadrons (UAS)
[37] (all with
Bulldog T.1 )
[37]
AOC Signals Units and AO Signals
The
Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Signals Units and Air Officer (AO) Signals was an
air vice-marshal (AVM) responsible for all signals units of the Royal Air Force. Besides
Royal Signals Air Support Signals Units at operational RAF airbases and stations, the AOC Signals Units and AO Signals administered the following units.
Air Officer Commanding Signals Units and Air Officer Signals
[8]
Additional specialised signals units (SU) were detached to
Royal Air Force Germany ,
British Sector Berlin ,
British Forces Gibraltar ,
British Forces Falkland Islands , and
British Forces Cyprus .
AOC Maintenance Units and AO Maintenance
AO Administration and AO Directly Administered Units
Air Officer (AO) Administration and Air Officer (AO) Directly Administered Units
[8]
[40]
The
Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment, or RAF Rgt) was headed by the
Commandant-General, RAF Regiment and Director-General of Security with the rank of
air vice-marshal ,
[41]
[42] who was responsible for security at all Royal Air Force installations. The RAF Regiment served as the Royal Air Force's
airbase defence
corps . The regiment administered, trained, and maintained its squadron, which operationally were under the commanders of the airfields (Station Commander) they were assigned to. There were four types of squadron: Field (Light Infantry) and Light Armour squadrons as airfield ground defence forces, Air Defence squadrons, and one Light Armour / Paratroopers Squadron to seize and secure enemy airfields. The regiment fielded 16 squadrons and the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment (RAuxAF) fielded eight reserve squadrons. The Regiment also provided the
RAF Fire Service sections at all RAF airfields and trained
firefighters and rescue personnel at its main base
RAF Catterick in North Yorkshire.
The list below only lists squadrons that were under command of the regiment in 1989; the squadrons assigned to other units are listed under the RAF stations and airfields where they were based.
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
The
Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) was commanded by an
air vice-marshal (AVM) and provided reinforcements to the Royal Air Force, which were manned by civilians and called upon in times of need or war. Although all RAuxAF units had previously been disbanded in
1957 , it lived on in three Maritime Headquarter Units, which provided augmentation personnel for
No. 18 (Maritime) Group Royal Air Force . In
1979 , three Field Squadrons were formed to provide ground airfield defence. During the 1980s, additional squadrons and
flights were raised, and by 1989, the RAuxAF fielded three Maritime Headquarter Units, two administrative
wings , seven RAuxAF Regiment squadrons, two support squadrons, and three airfield defence flights.
[44]
Note: The
Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force was responsible to Commander,
British Forces Hong Kong .
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAF Volunteer Reserve, or RAFVR) was a volunteer formation providing the RAF with specialists for a limited number of positions.
[44]
RAF Provost & Security Services
The Royal Air Force
Provost Marshal of the
Royal Air Force Provost & Security Services (RAF P&SS) had the rank of
air commodore , and was headquartered in the
Metropole building in
Whitehall , central London. At each RAF airbase and station, an RAF Police flight was tasked with guarding and securing the airbase or station. The
flights were administered by the following higher commands:
[47]
[48]
RAF Provost & Security Services (RAF P&SS) Provost Marshal,
Whitehall
HQ P&SS (UK),
RAF Rudloe Manor
HQ P&SS (Southern Region), RAF Rudloe Manor
HQ P&SS (Northern Region),
RAF Newton
HQ P&SS (Northern Ireland),
RAF Aldergrove
HQ P&SS (Scotland),
RAF Turnhouse
RAF Police Support Squadron, RAF Rudloe Manor — deployable RAF Police unit
HQ P&SS (Germany),
RAF Rheindahlen — part of
RAF Germany
HQ P&SS (Cyprus),
RAF Akrotiri — part of
British Forces Cyprus
HQ P&SS (Gibraltar),
RAF Gibraltar — part of
British Forces Gibraltar
HQ P&SS (Hong Kong),
RAF Sek Kong — part of
British Forces Hong Kong
RAF Police Training School, RAF Newton
RAF Police Dog Training School, RAF Newton
The
Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF ) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force, which provided the RAF with trained female personnel.
[49]
[50]
Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service
The
Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS ) was the
nursing branch of the Royal Air Force. The PMRAFNS staffed
The Princess Mary's Hospital, RAF Akrotiri ,
RAF Hospital Ely ,
RAF Hospital Halton ,
RAF Hospital Uxbridge ,
RAF Hospital Wegberg , and
RAF Hospital Wroughton .
[51]
[52]
Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch
The
Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch (RAF CB) provided
military chaplains for the Royal Air Force. Chaplains and chaplain candidates were trained in military theology at the Royal Air Force Chaplains' School at
Amport House .
[53]
[54]
The
Royal Air Force Legal Branch (RAFLB) was the uniformed legal service provider for the Royal Air Force. The RAFLB consisted of
solicitors and
barristers qualified in military law in a
Commonwealth jurisdiction.
[55]
[56]
The
Royal Air Force Medical Services (RAFMS) provided healthcare at home and on deployed
operations to Royal Air Force personnel.
Medical
officers (MOs) were the
doctors of the RAF, and had specialist expertise in
aviation medicine to support
aircrew and their protective equipment.
Royal Air Force inventory 1989
The airframe inventory of the Royal Air Force in 1989 consisted of the following aircraft:
[12]
Combat aircraft
Special mission
Cargo and aerial refuelling
Helicopters
Trainers
Royal Air Force flights were typically equipped with four aircraft.
Royal Air Force flying squadrons consisted of two to four flights, with fighter squadrons in general consisting of three flights.
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Royal Air Force . 8 October 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2009 .
formations and units
branches and components reserve forces equipment personnel appointments symbols and uniform associated civil organisations