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h forces from east of suez when hms ark royal paid off in december 1978 the fleet air arm lost its last conventional carrier capable of operating fixed wing aircraft on 27 november 1978 a phantom fg 1 of 892 squadron made the final catapult launch from a british aircraft carrier the squadron disbanded the following month and its aircraft were transferred to the royal air force 89 the phantom therefore represented both the technological high point of the fleet air arm s conventional carrier fighter force and the final stage of an era that had begun with the post war development of the modern british aircraft carrier defence cuts across the british armed forces during the 1960s and 1970s led to the withdrawal of existing royal navy aircraft carriers transfer of fleet air arm fixed wing jet strike aircraft such as the f 4k fg 1 phantom ii and buccaneer s 2 to the royal air force and cancellation of large replacement aircraft carriers including the cva 01 design the last conventional carrier to be retired was hms ark royal in 1978 90 operational maturity of rotary wing aviation edit westland sea king has2a during the 1970s rotary wing aviation became increasingly central to the operational role of the fleet air arm as conventional carrier aviation contracted the westland sea king entered service as the fleet air arm s principal anti submarine warfare helicopter providing the fleet with a long range airborne sensor and weapons platform while the wessex continued to provide amphibious troop transport search and rescue and general purpose support the introduction of the westland lynx later in the decade added a smaller helicopter capable of operating from frigates and destroyers extending the fleet s reconnaissance anti submarine and anti surface warfare capabilities to a much wider range of ships the gazelle also entered naval service principally for helicopter training while gazelles operated with the royal marines in reconnaissance and liaison roles 91 92 westland lynx hma8 the falklands war in 1982 demonstrated the breadth and importance of this developing helicopter force fleet air arm sea kings provided anti submarine warfare and in the commando role carried troops and supplies while wessex helicopters undertook troop movement logistics casualty evacuation and other support duties lynx helicopters operated from the fleet s frigates and destroyers including in the anti surface warfare role the scale of the helicopter contribution was particularly significant more than 150 helicopters were involved in the campaign operating intensively in difficult conditions while sea kings maintained a continuous anti submarine screen around the task force 93 94 the conflict reinforced rather than diminished the importance of naval helicopters the lessons of the campaign led to additional orders for sea kings lynx and gazelles while the sea king itself acquired new roles the commando sea king hc 4 introduced in 1979 increasingly replaced the wessex as the principal heavy lift helicopter for royal marines operations while the sea king was also adapted for airborne early warning following the falklands providing the fleet with an organic capability that had been conspicuously lacking during the conflict by the 1980s the sea king consequently combined anti submarine warfare amphibious assault search and rescue and airborne early warning while the lynx became an integral part of the surface fleet combining reconnaissance and anti submarine duties with anti surface warfare using sea skua 95 96 97 revival of fixed wing naval aviation edit the withdrawal of the royal navy s conventional aircraft carriers and the final fleet air arm phantom operations in 1978 did not end british naval fixed wing aviation instead the fleet air arm entered a new era based on vertical and or short take off and landing v stol aircraft and smaller carriers the british aerospace sea harrier frs 1 entered service in 1979 as a navalised development of the harrier equipped with radar and sidewinder missiles to provide fleet air defence as well as a secondary strike capability 98 two sea harriers from 800 squadron approach the u s navy s uss dwight d eisenhower in 1984 the first operational sea harrier squadron 800 naval air squadron formed in 1980 followed by 801 naval air squadron in 1981 with the aircraft operating from the new invincible class aircraft carrier s the type s ability to operate from a short flight deck assisted by a ski jump allowed the royal navy to retain a fixed wing 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 aircra...
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