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ing carrier air defence capability without the large carriers catapults and arresting gear required by the phantom this capability was tested unexpectedly soon after its introduction when argentina invaded the falkland islands in april 1982 during operation corporate sea harriers from a converted hms hermes and hms invincible formed the principal british carrier based fighter force while the fleet air arm rapidly expanded the available force by drawing aircraft and personnel from training and reserve establishments and by re forming 809 naval air squadron 99 the sea harriers provided the task force s principal air defence fighter capability and achieved air superiority over the task force despite operating at extreme range from britain and against a larger argentine air force their performance demonstrated that v stol carrier aviation could provide effective air cover for a naval task force when conventional large deck carriers were no longer available 100 the falklands war consequently gave the sea harrier a significance extending beyond the conflict itself validating the royal navy s decision to preserve a fixed wing carrier capability in a radically smaller form the royal navy subsequently developed the invincible class as a flexible platform for sustained carrier operations with sea harrier squadrons undertaking nato exercises and deployments in the atlantic mediterranean middle east and far east during the bosnian war sea harriers operated from royal navy carriers in the adriatic sea conducting reconnaissance combat air patrol and close air support missions in support of international operations demonstrating that the aircraft could undertake roles beyond the fleet defence mission for which it had originally been procured 101 at the end of the cold war in 1989 the fleet air arm was under the command of the flag officer naval air command a rear admiral based at rnas yeovilton flag officer naval air command fonac at rnas yeovilton rnas prestwick 819 naval air squadron anti submarine 12 sea king has 5 826 naval air squadron anti submarine 12 sea king has 6 hms gannet sar flight search rescue 8 sea king hu 5 rnas yeovilton 707 naval air squadron air assault 10 sea king hc 4 800 naval air squadron 12 sea harrier fa 2 801 naval air squadron 12 sea harrier fa 2 845 naval air squadron air assault 10 sea king hc 4 846 naval air squadron air assault 10 sea king hc 4 899 naval air squadron training 24 sea harrier fa 2 fleet requirements and aircraft direction unit aggressor squadron canberra tt 18 hawker hunter ga 11 rnas culdrose 705 naval air squadron basic helicopter training 38 gazelle ht 2 706 naval air squadron sea king training 12 various types of sea king 750 naval air squadron observer training jetstream t2 771 naval air squadron search rescue 12 sea king hu 5 814 naval air squadron anti submarine 12 sea king has 5 820 naval air squadron anti submarine 12 sea king has 6 824 naval air squadron anti submarine 12 sea king has 6 disbanded august 1989 849 naval air squadron airborne early warning and control 10 sea king aew 2a 4 sea king aew 5 rnas portland 702 naval air squadron aircrew maintenance training 24 lynx has 3s 772 naval air squadron air assault 10 sea king hc 4 810 naval air squadron anti submarine 12 sea king has 6 815 naval air squadron frigate destroyer helicopters 32 lynx has 3s most deployed on frigates and destroyers at sea 829 naval air squadron frigate destroyer helicopters 32 lynx has 3s most deployed on frigates and destroyers at sea fleet air arm inventory 1989 edit the inventory of the fleet air arm in 1989 consisted of the following aircraft 102 combat aircraft 42 sea harrier frs 1 f a 2 2 2 sea harrier t 4a t 4n helicopters 60 sea king has 5 31 sea king has 6 10 sea king aew 2a 33 sea king hc 4 80 lynx has 3s 23 8 gazelle ht 2 ht 3 trainers 3 canberra tt 18 14 chipmunk t 10 5 hunter t 8m 12 9 hunter ga 11 t8 19 jetstream t 2 liaison 16 dassault falcon 20 civil registered by the 1990s rotary wing aviation had become the most numerous and versatile element of the fleet air arm s operational aviation capability sea kings continued to provide anti submarine warfare airborne early warning search and rescue and commando support while lynx helicopters operated routinely from frigates and destroyers around the world providing reconnaissance anti submarine and anti surface warfare capabilities in april 1997 the royal navy s effective helicopter fleet comprised 78 lynx and 121 sea kings illustrating the scale of the rotary wing force at the end of the century 103 although the sea harrier had restored a specialised fixed wing carrier capability from 1980 helicopters had become indispensable to the fleet air arm s contribution to fleet operations amphibious warfare and maritime support 91 the sea harrier fa 2 introduced from the early 1990s further extended the type s capability with improved radar and beyond visual range air to air missiles allowing it to remain an effective fleet defence and multirole aircraft after the end of the cold war sea harriers subsequently supported operations over the former yugoslavia and iraq before the type was progressively withdrawn from fleet air arm service between 2004 and 2006 104 the sea harrier era therefore represented not simply a replacement for the phantom but a fundamental reconstruction of british naval fixed wing aviation the fleet air arm exchanged the speed range and heavy carrier infrastructure of conventional jet aviation for a smaller more flexible v stol force capable of operating from light carriers and providing air defence and strike support in expeditionary operations transition and the return of carrier fixed wing aviation edit four sea harrier fa 2s from 801 squadron at the beginning of the 21st century the fleet air arm continued to operate the sea harrier fa2 providing the royal navy with a dedicated fleet air defence fighter capability in april 2000 the royal navy and royal air force harrier forces were brought together as joint force harrier with the sea harrier fa2 operating alongside the raf s harrier gr7 in a joint force the sea harrier remained the force s principal air defence aircraft while the gr7 provided ground attack and reconnaissance capabilities 105 in 2002 the ministry of defence announced that joint force harrier would migrate to an all harrier gr force concentrating investment on the gr7 and its planned upgrade to gr9 standard the sea harrier fa2 was to be withdrawn by 2006 because of increasing obsolescence and the significant investment and technical risk that would have been required to maintain its effectiveness the change shifted the emphasis of fleet air arm fixed wing aviation from dedicated fleet air defence towards carrier based offensive strike operations 105 the final sea harrier aircraft were withdrawn from royal navy service by march 2006 ending the fleet air arm s dedicated fixed wing fleet air defence fighter capability 106 harrier gr7 the fleet air arm nevertheless retained a fixed wing combat role through its participation in joint force harrier operating the harrier gr7 and gr9 alongside raf personnel the upgraded gr9 provided an enhanced expeditionary strike capability and could employ precision guided weapons from land or sea in 2007 elements of the royal navy harrier force were consolidated into the naval strike wing which operated as part of joint force harrier until the retirement of the harrier 107 108 the strategic defence and security review 2010 brought an abrupt end to this phase of fleet air arm fixed wing aviation the harrier was withdrawn from service ahead of the introduction of the f 35b lightning ii and the final royal navy and raf harrier flights took place in december 2010 109 the withdrawal left the royal navy without an operational fixed wing combat aircraft capable of operating from its aircraft carriers creating a capability gap while the queen elizabeth class aircraft carrier s and f 35b were developed the return of carrier fixed wing aviation was centred on the f 35b the short take off and vertical landing variant of the joint strike fighter the aircraft represented a fundamental change from the sea harrier and harrier combining stealth advanced sensors networked systems and precision strike capabilities in a fifth generation multi role combat aircraft royal navy personnel were incorporated into the joint lightning force alongside the royal air force with the aircraft operating from raf marham when not embarked aboard the queen elizabeth class carriers the procurement plan was for a force of 138 f 35 lightning ii with the intention to be operated by both the raf and faa from a common aircraft pool in the same manner as the joint force harrier 110 in 2013 an initial cadre of royal air force and royal navy pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel were assigned to the united states marine corps marine fighter attack training squadron vmfat 501 part of the united states air force s training unit the 33rd fighter wing at eglin air force base florida for training on the f 35b lightning ii and 809 naval air squadron was designated to be the first faa squadron to operate the f 35b lightning ii based at raf marham 111 the restoration of british carrier fixed wing aviation began with the introduction of the queen elizabeth class carriers in 2018 hms queen elizabeth sailed to the united states for the first british carrier trials of the f 35b lightning ii with the aircraft conducting short take offs and vertical landings from the carrier s flight deck 112 f 35b lightning ii in 2021 f 35b lighting iis operating from hms queen elizabeth conducted the first british combat missions from an aircraft carrier since the retirement of the harrier supporting operation shader against islamic state forces in iraq and syria 113 the fleet air arm s role in the lightning force was strengthened by the re formation of 809 naval air squadron in december 2023 as a front line f 35b lightning ii squadron it became the second uk front line f 35b lightning ii unit alongside no 617 squadron raf with personnel drawn from both the royal navy and royal air force 114 in july 2024 809 nas generated its first independently conducted f 35b lighting ii sortie with the aircraft flown maintained dispatched and recovered solely by 809 squadron personnel 115 in october that year 809 squadron embarked on hms prince of wales marking the return of a royal navy fast jet squadron to a royal navy aircraft carrier for the first time in almost 15 years 116 by 2025 fleet air arm fixed wing aviation had developed into a joint fifth generation carrier capability centred on the f 35b lightning ii during operation highmast hms prince of wales deployed with f 35b lightning iis from 809 nas and 617 squadron with the deployment intended to demonstrate the ability of the two front line squadrons to operate together as a carrier strike force and achieve full operating capability for the uk lightning force 117 the deployment also demonstrated the integration of fleet air arm fast jets with allied carrier and air forces across the mediterranean and indo pacific regions in 2026 809 nas continued to expand its operational role as part of the royal navy s carrier strike capability f 35b lightning iis operated from hms prince of wales participating in exercise ramstein flag 26 with royal navy aircraft conducting sorties over northern europe and finland in support of nato air operations 118 the fleet air arm s fixed wing combat capability had consequently evolved from the sea harrier s specialised fleet air defence role through the harrier s expeditionary strike role and an eight year carrier fast jet gap into a smaller but technologically advanced and highly integrated fifth generation carrier force modernisation and consolidation of naval helicopters edit helicopters had become important combat platforms since the second world war initially used in the search and rescue role they were later developed for anti submarine warfare and troop transport during the 1956 suez crisis they were used to land royal marine commando forces the first time this had ever been done in combat 119 the fleet air arm entered the 21st century with its rotary wing capability centred on the sea king and lynx but the introduction of the merlin helicopter brought a significant increase in the capability of its heavyweight maritime helicopters the merlin hm1 entered operational service around 2000 progressively assuming the principal anti submarine warfare role from the sea king its greater range endurance payload and sensor capability allowed it to operate as an integral part of the royal navy s anti submarine and maritime forces while the subsequent merlin hm2 upgrade introduced a substantially modernised avionics and mission system from 2014 merlin hm2 operated from a range of royal navy and royal fleet auxiliary vessels including the queen elizabeth class aircraft carrier type 23 frigates and type 45 destroyers providing anti submarine warfare and maritime surveillance capabilities 120 commando helicopter force merlin hc3 3a merlin also transformed the fleet air arm s support of the royal marines following the transfer of the commando helicopter force s merlin mk3 force to the royal navy 845 and 846 naval air squadrons progressively replaced the sea king mk4 with merlin bringing the heavyweight helicopter capability of the fleet air arm s maritime and amphibious forces onto a common platform the introduction of the merlin mk4 from 2019 provided an aircraft specifically adapted for amphibious operations including a folding rotorhead and tail for shipboard use and improved avionics the type became the principal heavy lift and troop carrying helicopter of the commando helicopter force supporting royal marines operations from ships and land bases 121 122 the fleet air arm s lighter shipborne helicopter capability was meanwhile modernised through the replacement of the lynx by the wildcat hma2 the first wildcats were delivered to 815 naval air squadron in 2016 beginning the final transition from the lynx which had served with the royal navy for more than four decades before its withdrawal in march 2017 designed principally for operation from frigates destroyers and royal fleet auxiliary vessels wildcat combined a digital cockpit with modern sensors and weapons systems providing a more capable platform for anti surface warfare reconnaissance force protection and maritime surveillance while retaining the ability to operate from the small flight decks of the royal navy s surface combatants 123 124 the adoption of merlin and wildcat resulted in a smaller but more technologically sophisticated fleet air arm helicopter force merlin became the heavyweight maritime and commando platform providing anti submarine warfare maritime surveillance airborne surveillance and control troop transport and amphibious support while wildcat provided the principal helicopter capability embarked on th...
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