1900-1918: The origins of the Royal Air Force

• 1901
  • 29 October - The Aero Club
    Royal Aero Club
    The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
    
     of Great Britain is established. In the following years many early military pilots were trained by members of the Club.
• 1905
  • 27 April - Sapper Moreton of the British Army
    British Army
    The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
    
    's Balloon Section is lifted 2,600 ft (792 m) by a kite at Aldershot
    Aldershot
    Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
    
     under the supervision of the kite's designer, Samuel Cody
    Samuel Cody
    Samuel Franklin Cowdery was born in Birdville, Texas, USA. He was an early pioneer of manned flight, most famous for his work on the large kites known as Cody War-Kites that were used in World War I as a smaller alternative to balloons for artillery spotting...
    
    .
• 1908
  • Samuel Cody
    Samuel Cody
    Samuel Franklin Cowdery was born in Birdville, Texas, USA. He was an early pioneer of manned flight, most famous for his work on the large kites known as Cody War-Kites that were used in World War I as a smaller alternative to balloons for artillery spotting...
    
     completes the first powered flight in the UK
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
    
     at Farnborough
    Farnborough, Hampshire
    -History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
    
    .
• 1909
  • The Aero Club establishes the first British flying ground near Leysdown
    Leysdown-on-Sea
    Leysdown-on-Sea is a coastal village on the east side of the Isle of Sheppey in the Borough of Swale in Kent, England.-History:It was noted in the Domesday book as being called Legesdun and the name is thought to be derived from the Saxon words "Leswe" and "Dun" .A very small hamlet up to late...
    
     in Kent.
  • 2 May - John Moore-Brabazon
    John Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara
    John Theodore Cuthbert Moore-Brabazon, 1st Baron Brabazon of Tara, GBE, MC, PC was an English aviation pioneer and Conservative politician...
    
     becomes the first Englishman to make an officially recognized aeroplane flight in England.
• 1910
  • The Aero Club moves its flying from Leysdown to the nearby Eastchurch.
  • June - Charles Rolls
    Charles Rolls
    Charles Stewart Rolls was a motoring and aviation pioneer. Together with Frederick Henry Royce he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in a flying accident, when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display near Bournemouth,...
    
     becomes the first Englishman to fly across the Channel.
• 1911
  • 1 April - Air Battalion
    Air Battalion Royal Engineers
    The Air Battalion Royal Engineers was the first flying unit of the British Armed Forces to make use of heavier-than-air craft. It evolved into the Royal Flying Corps which in turn evolved into the Royal Air Force.-Establishment:...
    
    , Royal Engineers
    Royal Engineers
    The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
    
     formed at Larkhill
    Larkhill
    Larkhill is a garrison town in the civil parish of Durrington, Wiltshire, England. It is a short distance west of Durrington village proper and north of the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge. It is about north of Salisbury....
    
    .
  • December - The Royal Naval Flying School formed at Eastchurch
    Eastchurch
    Eastchurch is a village on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster.The village website claims "... it has a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers".- Aviation history :...
    
    , Kent.
• 1912
  • 13 April - The Royal Flying Corps
    Royal Flying Corps
    The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
    
     (RFC) is established by Royal Warrant. An Air Committee to liaise between the Admiralty and the War Office is also created.
  • 13 May - RFC assume control of Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers and the Naval Air Service.
  • 19 June- Central Flying School
    Central Flying School
    The Central Flying School is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 it is the longest existing flying training school.-History:...
    
     (CFS) is formed at Upavon
    Upavon
    Upavon is a rural village in the English County of Wiltshire, England. As its name suggests, it is on the upper portions of the River Avon which runs from the north to the south through the village. It is situated about south of Pewsey, about southeast of the market town of Devizes, and about ...
    
    .
• 1914
  • 1 July - Royal Naval Air Service
    Royal Naval Air Service
    The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
    
     (RNAS) formed by splitting airship squadrons away from the RFC
  • September - The first RNAS aircraft squadrons formed. 1 Squadron RNAS
    No. 201 Squadron RAF
    No. 201 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, until March 2010, operated the Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It is the only squadron affiliated with Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. This affiliation started in 1935 and is commemorated in the museum on Castle Cornet. Its history goes even...
    
     at Antwerp, 2 Squadron RNAS
    No. 202 Squadron RAF
    No. 202 Squadron of the Royal Air Force presently operates the Sea King HAR.3 in the Search and rescue role at three stations in the northern half of the United Kingdom. It was originally formed as one of the first aeroplane squadrons of the RNAS before it became part of the RAF.-Formation and...
    
     at Eastchurch
    Eastchurch
    Eastchurch is a village on the Isle of Sheppey, in the English county of Kent, two miles east of Minster.The village website claims "... it has a history steeped in stories of piracy and smugglers".- Aviation history :...
    
    , 3 Squadron RNAS
    No. 203 Squadron RAF
    No. 203 Squadron RAF was originally formed as No. 3 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service. It was renumbered No. 203 when the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918.-First World War:...
    
     at St. Pol, France.
• 1916
  • 15 February - The Joint War Air Committee is established to co-ordinate the activities of the RFC and RNAS.
  • 15 May - The Air Board replaces the ineffective Joint War Air Committee.
  • 12 December - RFC expands to 106 front-line squadrons and 95 reserve and training squadrons.
• 1917
  • 29 November - The Air Force (Constitution) Act passed, providing for creation of an Air Force and an Air Ministry
    Air Ministry
    The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
    
    .

1918-1939: The inter-war years and policing the Empire

• 1918
  • 2 January - The Air Ministry
    Air Ministry
    The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
    
     comes into being with Lord Rothermere
    Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere
    Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere was a highly successful British newspaper proprietor, owner of Associated Newspapers Ltd. He is known in particular, with his brother Alfred Harmsworth, the later Viscount Northcliffe, for the development of the London Daily Mail and Daily Mirror....
    
     as Secretary of State for Air
    Secretary of State for Air
    The Secretary of State for Air was a cabinet level British position. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. It was created on 10 January 1919 to manage the Royal Air Force...
    
    . Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard becomes the first Chief of the Air Staff (CAS).
  • 1 April
    • The Royal Air Force is formed by amalgamating the RFC and RNAS.
    • First operational mission by the RAF carried out by 22 Squadron
      No. 22 Squadron RAF
      No. 22 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Sea King HAR.3 and HAR.3A at three stations in the southern United Kingdom. The squadron was originally formed in 1915 as an aerial reconnaissance unit of the Royal Flying Corps serving on the Western Front during First World War...
      
      
    • Women's Royal Air Force
      Women's Royal Air Force
      The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
      
       (WRAF) formed.
  • 3 June - The Distinguished Flying Cross
    Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
    The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
    
     (DFC), Air Force Cross
    Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
    The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
    
     (AFC), Distinguished Flying Medal
    Distinguished Flying Medal
    The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
    
     (DFM), Air Force Medal
    Air Force Medal
    The Air Force Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active...
    
     (AFM) are constituted.
  • 6 June - The Independent Air Force
    Independent Air Force
    The Independent Air Force , also known as the Independent Force or the Independent Bombing Force and later known as the Inter-Allied Independent Air Force, was a World War I strategic bombing force which was part of the British Royal Air Force and used to strike against German railways, aerodromes...
    
    , the RAF's strategic bombing force, is formed.
  • June - Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service
    Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service
    Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force.It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment as the Royal Air Force Nursing Service on 27 January 1921...
    
     formed.
  • 19 September to 1 October - Battle of Megiddo
    Battle of Megiddo (1918)
    The Battle of Megiddo took place between 19 September and 1 October 1918, in what was then the northern part of Ottoman Palestine and parts of present-day Syria and Jordan...
    
    . The RAF's Palestine Brigade
    Palestine Brigade RAF
    The Palestine Brigade of the Royal Flying Corps, and later Royal Air Force, was formed 5 October 1917 in respose to General Allenby's request for an air formation for his planned offensive against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine.-Background:...
    
     plays a key role in the British victory over the Ottoman Empire, including the destruction of the Ottoman Seventh Army
    Seventh Army (Ottoman Empire)
    The Ottoman Seventh Army was a large military formation of Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although designated as an army, at least by 1918, it was only of corps strength....
    
    .
  • 11 November - At the end of the First World War, the RAF was the largest air force in the world with 27,333 officers, 263,837 other ranks, 22,647 aircraft, 103 airships, 133 front-line squadrons, 15 flights and 270 aerodromes overseas, 55 front-line squadrons, 75 training squadrons/depots, 401 aerodromes at home and 25,000 WRAF members.
• 1919
  • August - RAF officer ranks
    RAF officer ranks
    - Ranks :-Origins:Lieutenant-General David Henderson originally proposed that Royal Air Force officers use a combination of British Army and Royal Navy ranks...
    
     are introduced.
• 1920
  • January to February - The defeat of the "Mad Mullah
    Mohammed Abdullah Hassan
    Sayyīd Muhammad `Abd Allāh al-Hasan was a Somali religious and patriotic leader...
    
    ". The beginnings of colonial air control as RAF aircraft acting with the Somaliland Camel Corps
    Somaliland Camel Corps
    The Somaliland Camel Corps was a unit of the British Army based in British Somaliland from the early 20th century until the 1960s.Camels are a necessity in East Africa, being as important as ponies are in Mongolia...
    
     in British Somaliland overthrow
    1920 conflict between British forces and Somaliland dervishes
    The 1920 conflict between British forces and the Dervish State was the fifth and final British expedition against the Dervish forces of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan , the Somali religious leader. The majority of this conflict took place during January 1920. However, the British began preparations to...
    
     the Dervish leader.
  • 5 February - The RAF College Cranwell is established.
  • WRAF disbanded.
• 1921
  • 1 October - RAF military control of Mesopotamia
    Mesopotamia
    Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
    
     begins.
• 1922
  • 1 October - RAF Iraq Command
    RAF Iraq Command
    Iraq Command was the RAF commanded inter-service command in charge of British forces in Iraq in the 1920s and early 1930s, during the period of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. It continued as British Forces in Iraq until 1941 when it was replaced by AHQ Iraq...
    
     is formed.
• 1925
  • March to May - Pink's War
    Pink's War
    Pink's War was an air to ground bombardment and strafing carried out by the Royal Air Force, under the command of Wing Commander Richard Charles Montagu Pink, against the mountain strongholds of Mahsud tribesmen in South Waziristan in March and April 1925....
    
    . The RAF carries out its first independent air action, bombing and strafing the mountain strongholds of Mahsud tribesmen in Waziristan
    Waziristan
    Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
    
    .
• 1928
  • 23 December - The Kabul Airlift
    Kabul Airlift
    The Kabul Airlift was an air evacuation of British and a number of European diplomatic staff and their families conducted by the Royal Air Force from Kabul between December 1928 and February 1929.-Background and the Afghan civil war:...
    
    . The world's first air evacuation is carried out by the RAF when the British Legation in Kabul
    Kabul
    Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
    
     is flown to safety.
• 1932
  • April to June - Following Sheikh
    Sheikh
    Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
    
     Ahmad Barzani's small-scale revolt in north-east Iraq
    Iraq
    Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
    
    , the RAF conducts psychological and conventional air operations which result in Sheikh Ahmad's surrender.
• 1936
  • 14 July - The UK's air defences are reorganised into four commands: Bomber Command
    RAF Bomber Command
    RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
    
    , Fighter Command
    RAF Fighter Command
    RAF Fighter Command was one of three functional commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War, gaining recognition in the Battle of Britain. The Command continued until 17 November 1943, when...
    
    , Coastal Command
    RAF Coastal Command
    RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
    
     and Training Command
    RAF Training Command
    Training Command was the RAF's command responsible for flying and ground training from 1936 to 1940 and again from 1968 to 1977.-History:Training Command was formed from Inland Area on 1 May 1936 and absorbed into RAF Support Command on 13 June 1977...
    
    .
• 1938
  • 1 April - Maintenance Command
    RAF Maintenance Command
    RAF Maintenance Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling maintenance for all the United Kingdom-based units from formation on 1 April 1938 until being renamed RAF Support Command on 31 August 1973.- History :...
    
     is formed.
  • 1 November - Balloon Command
    RAF Balloon Command
    Balloon Command was the Royal Air Force command which was responsible for controlling all the United Kingdom-based barrage balloon units during World War II.- History :...
    
     is formed.

1939-1945: World War II

• 1939
  • 24 August - The Advanced Air Striking Force
    RAF Advanced Air Striking Force
    Before the Second World War it had been agreed between the United Kingdom and France that in case of war, the light bomber force of the Royal Air Force would move to bases within France from which it could operate against targets in Nazi Germany. To achieve this, the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force...
    
     is formed in preparation for operations on the Continent
  • 3 September - Following the UK's declaration of war on Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
    
    , the RAF conducts photographic reconnaissance of the German naval base at Wilhelmshaven
    Wilhelmshaven
    Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
    
    .
  • 29 November - RAuxAF spitfires
    Supermarine Spitfire
    The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
    
     shoot down an He 111
    Heinkel He 111
    The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
    
     bomber over Lothian
    Lothian
    Lothian forms a traditional region of Scotland, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills....
    
    , the first German aircraft to be shot down over the UK.
  • Women's Auxiliary Air Force
    Women's Auxiliary Air Force
    The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
    
     (WAAF) instituted.
• 1940
  • 16 May - Air Chief Marshal
    Air Chief Marshal
    Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
    
     Sir Hugh Dowding
    Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding
    Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding GCB, GCVO, CMG was a British officer in the Royal Air Force...
    
     writes his letter to the Air Ministry
    Air Ministry
    The Air Ministry was a department of the British Government with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964...
    
     which results in no further aircraft squadrons, earmarked for home defence, being sent to France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
    
    .
  • 10 July - The Battle of Britain
    Battle of Britain
    The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
    
     begins.
  • 13 August - Adlertag (Eagle Day). The Luftwaffe
    Luftwaffe
    Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
    
    's attempts to gain air superiority over Britain fail, with the balance of aircraft losses being strongly in the RAF's favour.
• 1941
  • 15 May - The maiden flight of first British jet
    Jet engine
    A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
    
     aircraft, the Gloster E.28/39
    Gloster E.28/39
    |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* James, Derek N. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-807-0.* Mondey, David. The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II. London: Chancellor Press, 1994. ISBN 1-85152-668-4.* Morgan, Eric B. "A New Concept of...
    
    .
  • 20 July - Ferry Command
    RAF Ferry Command
    The RAF Ferry Command had a short life, but it spawned, in part, an organisation that lasted well beyond the war years during which it was formed.-History:...
    
     is formed.
  • 24 December - The Avro Lancaster
    Avro Lancaster
    The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
    
     enters service with the RAF.
• 1942
  • 30 May - Over 1,000 bombers set out to raid Cologne
    Cologne
    Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
    
    , severely damaging the city.
  • 1 June - Around 1,000 bombers set out to raid Essen
    Essen
    - Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
    
    , however many crews mistakenly bomb other cities.
  • 25 June - Around 1,000 bombers set out to raid Bremen, severely damaging the city and successfully bombing the Focke-Wulf
    Focke-Wulf
    Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG was a German manufacturer of civil and military aircraft before and during World War II. Many of the company's successful fighter aircraft designs were slight modifications of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.-History:...
    
     aircraft factory.
• 1943
  • 5 March - In an effort to decimate the German industrial base, Bomber Command
    RAF Bomber Command
    RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
    
     begins bombing the Ruhr
    Ruhr Area
    The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
    
     region.
  • 25 March - Transport Command
    RAF Transport Command
    RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 1967.-History:...
    
     is formed by redesignating Ferry Command.
  • 16 May - Aircraft of 617 Squadron
    No. 617 Squadron RAF
    No. 617 Squadron is a Royal Air Force aircraft squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland. It currently operates the Tornado GR4 in the ground attack and reconnaissance role...
    
     set out on Operation Chastise
    Operation Chastise
    Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis...
    
    , commonly known as the Dambusters Raid. The Mohne and Eder dams are breached.
  • 18 November - This is the first night of a four-month bombing campaign against Berlin
    Berlin
    Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
    
    .
• 1944
  • 24 March - RAF and Dominion Air Force personnel are murdered by the Gestapo
    Gestapo
    The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
    
     after the "great escape" from Stalag Luft III
    Stalag Luft III
    Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
    
     Prisoner of War Camp.
  • 6 June - D-Day commences. Diversions supplied by Avro Lancaster
    Avro Lancaster
    The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
    
    s of 101 Squadron
    No. 101 Squadron RAF
    No. 101 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Vickers VC10 C1K, K3 and K4 from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. Since 10 Squadron disbanded in 2005, the squadron is the only operator of the VC10.-Formation and early years:...
    
     operating the ABC radio jamming equipment. Reconnaissance photographs were supplied by Spitfires
    Supermarine Spitfire
    The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
    
     of 16 Squadron
    No. 16 Squadron RAF
    No. 16 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. It formed in 1915 at Saint-Omer to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance and was disbanded in 1919 with the end of the First World War...
    
    .
• 1945
  • 22 February - Allied Air Forces launch Operation Clarion
    Operation Clarion
    Operation Clarion was an Allied campaign of Strategic bombing during World War II which attacked 200 Nazi Germany communication network targets to open Operation Veritable/Grenade....
    
    , a concerted effort to destroy German transportation within 24 hours.

1945-1990: The Cold War years

• 1948
  • 28 June 1948 to 30 September 1949 - The RAF conducts Operation Plainfare, the British contribution to the Berlin Airlift.
  • June - The RAF conducts Operation Firedog against Malayan terrorists during the Malayan Emergency
    Malayan Emergency
    The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
    
    . Two Spitfires of No. 60 Squadron
    No. 60 Squadron RAF
    No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire....
    
     fly the first offensive mission on 6 July, destroying an enemy base at Perak
    Perak
    Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
    
    . Involvement continues until 1960.
• 1949
  • Women's Auxiliary Air Force
    Women's Auxiliary Air Force
    The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
    
     becomes Women's Royal Air Force
    Women's Royal Air Force
    The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
    
    
• 1953
  • Avro Lincoln squadrons flying out of RAF Eastleigh conduct anti-Mau Mau operations in Kenya
    Kenya
    Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
    
    . Operations continue until 1955.
• 1956
  • 31 October - Canberras
    English Electric Canberra
    The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
    
     fly reconnaissance sorties and bomb Egypt
    Egypt
    Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
    
    ian airfields on the opening night of Suez War's
    Suez Crisis
    The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
    
     air campaign.
• 1958
  • 3 November - Signals Command
    RAF Signals Command
    Signals Command was the RAF's command responsible for control of signals units from 1958 to 1969. It was based at RAF Medmenham near Marlow, Buckinghamshire.-History:The Command was formed on 3 November 1958 by raising No. 90 Group to Command status...
    
     is formed.
• 1967
  • 1 August - Air Support Command
    RAF Air Support Command
    Air Support Command of the Royal Air Force was formed on 1 August 1967 by the redesignation of Transport Command. Its change of name reflected the change of emphasis of the Command from merely transporting materials and men around the world to providing general support to RAF operations around the...
    
     is formed by redesignating Transport Command
• 1968
  • 30 April - Strike Command
    RAF Strike Command
    The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
    
     is formed from Fighter Command and Bomber Command.
  • 28 November - Coastal Command is absorbed into the newly created Strike Command.
• 1969
  • 1 January - Signals Command is absorbed into Strike Command.
• 1972
  • 1 September - Air Support Command is absorbed into Strike Command.
• 1982
  • 30 April - Operation Black Buck
    Operation Black Buck
    During the Falklands War, Operations Black Buck 1 to Black Buck 7 were a series of seven extremely long-range ground attack missions by Royal Air Force Vulcan bombers planned against Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands...
    
    . Vulcan
    Avro Vulcan
    The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
    
     bombers set out from RAF Ascension Island on the first of six raids against Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands
    Falkland Islands
    The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
    
    .
• 1986
  • 8 January - RAF Marine Branch Disbanded.

1990-present: Expeditionary operations

• 1990
  • RAF fighters based in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait prior to the Gulf War
• 1991
  • 16 January to 11 April - During the Gulf War
    Gulf War
    The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
    
    , RAF aircraft fight in the air battle
    Gulf War air campaign
    The Air campaign of the Gulf War, also known as Operation Instant Thunder and the 1991 Bombing of Iraq started with an extensive aerial bombing campaign on 17 January 1991. The coalition flew over 100,000 sorties, dropping 88,500 tons of bombs, and widely destroying military and civilian...
    
     over Kuwait
    Kuwait
    The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
    
     and Iraq.
  • The RAF begins Operations Resonate North and Resonate South, the British contribution to the Allied efforts to enforce the Iraqi no-fly zones
    Iraqi no-fly zones
    The Iraqi no-fly zones were a set of two separate no-fly zones , and were proclaimed by the United States, United Kingdom and France after the Gulf War of 1991 to protect the Kurdish people in northern Iraq and Shiite Muslims in the south. Iraqi aircraft were forbidden from flying inside the zones...
    
    . These operations continue for over a decade.
• 1993
  • RAF Tornado F3s and AWACS aircraft contribute to NATO's operation to restrict airspace movements over Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
    
    , Operation Deny Flight
    Operation Deny Flight
    Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization operation that began on April 12, 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina...
    
    . The operation continues until late 1995.
• 1998
  • 16 December - Operation Desert Fox
    Operation Desert Fox
    The December 1998 bombing of Iraq was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16–19, 1998 by the United States and United Kingdom...
    
    . RAF Tornados
    Panavia Tornado
    The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
    
     and USAF
    United States Air Force
    The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
    
     F-117s
    F-117 Nighthawk
    The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk was a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground-attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force . The F-117A's first flight was in 1981, and it achieved initial operating capability status in October 1983...
    
     bomb military targets in Iraq
    Iraq
    Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
    
    .
• 2001
  • 9 October - During the third day of Operation Veritas
    Operation Veritas
    Operation Veritas was the codename used for British military operations against the Taliban government of Afghanistan in 2001. British forces played a supporting role to the American Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition, the British contribution was an important part of the overall forces deployed...
    
    , RAF aircraft commenced the provision of air-to-air refuelling, reconnaissance and surveillance support to US aircraft operating over Afghanistan
    Afghanistan
    Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
    
    .
• 2004
  • September - A detachment of six RAF Harriers from Joint Force Harrier
    Joint Force Harrier
    Joint Strike Wing, previously known as Joint Force Harrier, was the British military formation which controlled the STOVL Harrier aircraft of the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm...
    
     was based at Kandahar Airfield
    Kandahar Airfield
    Kandahar International Airport is located 10 miles south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan. The airport was built by the United States in the 1960s, under the United States Agency for International Development program. It may have been intended to be used as a possible U.S...
    
     to support colilition ground forces.
  • 30 October – 31 December - Four Tornado F3s deployed to Lithuania
    Lithuania
    Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
    
     for the British rotation as part of NATO's Baltic Air Policing
    Baltic Air Policing
    The Baltic air-policing mission is a NATO air defence Quick Reaction Alert in order to guard the airspace over the three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.-Mission:...
    
    .
• 2005
  • RAF deployed to Indonesia
    Indonesia
    Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
    
     following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
    2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
    The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
    
     disaster to provide aid relief support and transport
• 2006
  • July - Three Chinook helicopters of 27 Squadron
    No. 27 Squadron RAF
    No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook HC2 from RAF Odiham.-The Great War:27 Squadron formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on 5 November 1915, soon being equipped with Martinsyde Elephant fighter aircraft, hence the use of an elephant for the squadron badge...
    
     deployed to RAF Akrotiri
    RAF Akrotiri
    Royal Air Force Station Akrotiri, more commonly known as RAF Akrotiri , is a large Royal Air Force station, on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which comprise Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory, administered as a...
    
     to evacuate British citizens from Lebanon.
• 2007
  • April - Strike Command
    RAF Strike Command
    The Royal Air Force's Strike Command was the military formation which controlled the majority of the United Kingdom's bomber and fighter aircraft from 1968 until 2007: it was merged with Personnel and Training Command to form the single Air Command. It latterly consisted of two formations - No. 1...
    
     and Personnel and Training Command
    RAF Personnel and Training Command
    Personnel and Training Command was one of two commands of the Royal Air Force that were merged to form Air Command on 1 April 2007.- Formation :...
    
     merge to form Air Command
    RAF Air Command
    Air Command is the only Command currently active in the Royal Air Force. It was formed by the merger of Royal Air Force Strike and Personnel and Training Commands on 1 April 2007, and has its headquarters at RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire....
    
    .