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Royal Air Force

Military unit
Unit nameRoyal Air Force
Founded1 April 1918
CountryUK United Kingdom
AllegianceHM The Queen
Size998 aircraft
42,200 regular personnel
1,500 royal auxiliary air force
33,400 Royal Air Force Reserve
Part ofBritish Armed Forces
Garrison/HQMOD Main Building, Whitehall
Motto 
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
MarchRoyal Air Force March Past
Commanders
Chief of the Air StaffAir Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton KCB
Notable
commanders
Lord Trenchard
Lord Portal
Aircraft flown
AttackTornado GR4
Typhoon FGR4
Reaper
Electronic
warfare
Sentry
FighterTyphoon F2
HelicopterChinook
Merlin
Puma
Sea King
Griffin HAR2
InterceptorTyphoon
ReconnaissanceIslander
Shadow R1
Nimrod R1
Sentinel R1
Reaper
Tornado GR4A
TrainerHawk
King Air
Squirrel
Tucano
Tutor
Vigilant
Viking
TransportC-17
Hercules C3
Hercules C4 & C5
Tristar
VC10
Voyager

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The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world. The RAF has taken a significant role in British military history, playing a large part in the Second World War and in more recent conflicts.

As of mid 2011, the RAF operates around 998 aircraft, as such it is the largest Air Force in Europe and the second largest in NATO , after the United States and it is also among the most technologically sophisticated air forces in the world. The RAF has a total manpower strength of 42,200 regular personnel and 1,500 Royal Auxiliary Air Force personnel. In addition the RAF can call-upon 33,400 fully trained Royal Air Force Reserves. The majority of the RAF's aircraft and personnel are based in the UK with many others serving on operations (principally Afghanistan and the Middle East) or at long-established overseas bases (Ascension Island, Canada, Cyprus, Diego Garcia, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and Germany).

The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed: to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government’s foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security."

The RAF's own mission statement reads as thus:|}

The above statement goes hand in hand with the RAF's definition of air power, the concept that guides the RAF strategy. Air Power is defined as: "The ability to project military force in air or space by or from a platform or missile operating above the surface of the earth. Air platforms are defined as any aircraft, helicopter or unmanned air vehicle."

Although the RAF is the principal British air power arm, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the British Army's Army Air Corps also deliver air power which is integrated into the maritime, littoral and land environments.

RAF Video

Stay with the video and see the Chinook do a reverse wheelie! Boeing HC Mk2/2A Chinook air show display with the aircraft landing and doing a reverse take of...
1.02 min. | 4.87 user rating
"The Deep Blue Sea" brings us yet again the beautiful mesmerising Rachel Weisz as the wife of a British Judge who is caught in a self-destructive love affair...
1.05 min. | 4.01 user rating
BASED ON PERFORMANCE !!! TOP 10 POWERFUL AIR FORCES IN THE WORLD !!!!. ** Don't Copy This Video **
4.78 min. | 0 user rating
Extrem Low Flying Harrier!
0.38 min. | 4.72 user rating
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watch the fly past with their families.
6.70 min. | 0 user rating
The Air Force do the Harlem Shake! And now i think i have a new favorite shake :D Make sure to subscribe for more Harlem videos and leave a like :) More Vide...
0.50 min. | 4.89 user rating
Spanish Chinook pilot showing off his skill at an airshow on the spanish coast.
2.52 min. | 4.69 user rating
Jets going faster than the speed of sound creates a "sonic boom" that stays with the jet the whole time it travels.
1.03 min. | 4.88 user rating
UPDATE: I have closed comments because I'm sick of the flaming going on between Polish and British members. My sincerest apologies to those who would just li...
2.88 min. | 4.88 user rating
KCTC provides advanced combat training while the K9 Self-propelled howitzer and the K11 rifle provides awesome firepower to the ROK Army. The T-50 advanced ...
9.52 min. | 2.88 user rating

Latest News : RAF : Tweet this RSS

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Will more Tornado jets from RAF Marham join operations over Libya - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press Tweet this news
Norfolk Eastern Daily Press--It was unclear whether more aircraft from the Norfolk base would be joining the international operation in Libya last night, after Nato's Secretary General called for more ground-attack aircraft to strike Muammar Gaddafi& - Date : Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:31:38 GMT+00:00
Prince William will be back at work at RAF Wales just two weeks after royal ... - Mirror.co.uk Tweet this news
Mirror.co.uk--by Keri Sutherland, Sunday Mirror 17/04/2011 PRINCE William's honeymoon with Kate Middleton will last just two weeks so that he can get back to his -RAF- duties. The break, rumoured to be in Kenya, the Seychelles or the Scilly Isles, wi - Date : Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:34:16 GMT+00:00
RAF Typhoons grounded over spare parts - Press TV Tweet this news
Press TV--Pilots of the -RAF's- most advanced fighter jets are being grounded because shortages of aircraft spares mean they cannot put in enough flying hours to keep their skills up to date, MPs warned today. Lack of spare parts has grounded the pil - Date : Sat, 16 Apr 2011 09:48:16 GMT+00:00
Final member of RAF cigarette smuggle gang escapes jail - BBC News Tweet this news
BBC News--Former -RAF- serviceman Thomas Warren, 27, received a 12-month suspended term after admitting conspiracy to evade duty on cigarettes. Hauls of cigarettes were flown into -RAF- bases in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and ended up in the north east Eng - Date : Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:44:38 GMT+00:00
Prince William just one of the boys says RAF - ABC Online Tweet this news
ABC Online--But he's also still just one of the boys at the -RAF- base in Anglesea, North Wales as London correspondent Rachael Brown reports. RACHAEL BROWN: Off the coast of the sleepy island of Anglesea lies the often rough Irish Sea, a trap for sa - Date : Fri, 15 Apr 2011 06:04:10 GMT+00:00
Anglers airlifted as boat sinks - BBC News Tweet this news
BBC News--Three anglers have been flown to hospital by an -RAF- rescue helicopter after their small fishing boat sunk off the north Wales coast. Holyhead coastguard said the 15ft (4m) boat started taking on water after hitting a sand bank off Caernarfon B - Date : Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:14:36 GMT+00:00
Kington students spread their wings to RAF Cosford for aviation project - Hereford Times Tweet this news
Hereford Times--A dozen or so youngsters also visited -RAF- Cosford during the event, as well as the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering and the Defence School of Photography. A turn in the cockpit of a Jaguar GR3 fighter plane and in a Westland S - Date : Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:32:09 GMT+00:00
RAF man running a dream - Lynn News Tweet this news
Lynn News---RAF- Wing Commander Richard Yates, 39, who returned from Afghanistan in February, hopes to raise £1800 for the Leonard Cheshire Disability charity. The worthy cause helps thousands of people around the world and was founded by Group Capt Leon - Date : Fri, 08 Apr 2011 11:52:00 GMT+00:00
BBC Masterchef cook-off at RAF Northolt - Hillingdon Times Tweet this news
Hillingdon Times--MasterChef's stars went back to the 1940s as they cooked a special meal for veterans of the Battle of Britain at -RAF- Northolt. The BBC programme took over the Officer's Mess at the base for a special episode to broadcast on A - Date : Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:54:30 GMT+00:00
RAF base school is 'positive' over future - Rutland Times Tweet this news
Rutland Times--A HEADTEACHER says she is keeping a positive attitude over the future of her school following the closure of -RAF- Cottesmore. The future of Cottesmore Primary School, which is on the base, remains uncertain after the base lost its station - Date : Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:06:15 GMT+00:00

Future aircraft : Reserves

style="font-size: larger;"|Royal Air Force
Components
Royal Air Force
Royal Auxiliary Air Force
RAF Regiment
RAF Volunteer Reserve
RAF Police
History
History of the Royal Air Force
Timeline of the Royal Air Force
Aircraft
List of RAF aircraft
Structure
Air Command
No. 1 Group
No. 2 Group
JFACHQ
No. 22 Group
List of stations
Personnel
Officer ranks
Other ranks

Royal Air Force

Formations and unitsCommands * Groups * Stations * Wings * Aircraft squadrons * Aircraft flights * Conversion units * Regiment squadrons |
BranchesRAF Regiment * RAF Police * RAF Intelligence * Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service * RAF Legal Branch |
Reserve forcesRoyal Auxiliary Air Force * RAF Volunteer Reserve
Associated civil organizationsAir Training Corps * RAF Association * RAF Centre of Aviation Medicine
EquipmentList of RAF aircraft * List of RAF missiles |
PersonnelOfficer ranks * Other ranks * List of members |
Symbols and uniformEnsign * Badge * Roundels * Uniform |

United Kingdom Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces
UK Naval Service (Royal Navy) (Royal Marines) * Army * Royal Air Force
Defence Council
PoliticalSecretary of State for Defence * Minister of State for the Armed Forces * Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology * Minister for International Security Strategy * Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans
MilitaryChief of the Defence Staff * Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff * Chief of the Naval Staff and First Sea Lord * Chief of the General Staff * Chief of the Air Staff * Chief of Defence Materiel
Civil ServicePermanent Under Secretary of State for Defence * Second Permanent Under Secretary of State * Chief Scientific Adviser
Service boards
Admiralty Board (Navy Board) * Army Board * Air Force Board
Executive agencies
British Forces Post Office * Defence Estates * Defence Equipment and Support * Defence Science and Technology Laboratory * Defence Storage and Distribution Agency * Defence Vetting Agency * Duke of York's Royal Military School * Met Office * Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency * People, Pay and Pensions Agency * Service Children's Education * Service Personnel and Veterans Agency * United Kingdom Hydrographic Office

Aviation in World War I

People and aircraftCommanders * Aces * Aircraft of the Entente Powers * Aircraft of the Central Powers * Zeppelins * World War I aircraft
Entente Powers air servicesBritish air services (Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force) * French Air Service * Imperial Russian Air Force * Italian Military Air Corps * United States Army Air Service * Greek Air Services (Army Air Service, Naval Air Service)
Central Powers air servicesGerman air services (Army Air Service, Navy Air Service) * Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops * Ottoman Air Force * Bulgarian Army Aeroplane Section



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