No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing (United Kingdom)
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No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing (United Kingdom)
No. 903 Expeditionary Air Wing is an Expeditionary Air Wing of the Royal Air Force. It is currently based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and is tasked with conducting operations against ISIL in Iraq & Syria It was activated during 2003 as part of a modernisation package to make the RAF more deployable on an expeditionary basis. It was stationed at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan controlling RAF operations at the air base there between Summer 2009 and November 2014. It used to report to No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group. History Second World War The wing was active from 1 December 1944 to 31 October 1945 as a tactical wing, part of No. 224 Group RAF, Third Tactical Air Force. It was formed at Chittagong Airfield from RAF HQ Patenga. In December 1944 it was temporarily at Comilla with No. 67 Squadron RAF (Supermarine Spitfire);Woodburn Kirby, Vol IV, Appendix 4, "Outline Order of Battle of Air Command, South East Asia, 12th December 1944". In May 1945, the Wing provided close supp ...
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is , with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people. The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 170 ...
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Contingency Operating Base Basra
Basrah International Airport ( ar, مطار البصرة الدولي, Maṭār al-Baṣrah ad-Duwaliyy) is the second largest international airport in Iraq, and is located in the southern city of Basra. History Construction The airport was built in the 1980s and then developed in the 1980s by the Iraqi Government department State Organisation for Roads and Bridges (SORB) as a gateway to the only port in Iraq. This second phase of development was completed by a joint venture comprising Strabag Bau AG of Cologne, Billfinger & Berger of Manheim both in Germany and Universale of Austria in Spring 1988. It is claimed that the airport was built only as a facility for VIPs and was only used rarely. Renovation and military use Renovation of the airport was supposed to proceed with the construction of a new terminal under German contract but the project prematurely ceased with the outbreak of the 1991 Gulf War. Actual development proceeded in the airport only after the 2003 US invasion ...
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4 Regiment Army Air Corps
4 Regiment Army Air Corps is a regiment of the Army Air Corps (AAC). History * Detmold , 1964-1970 , 1, 23 & 24 Flights * HQ at Detmold , 1971-1976 , 654 Squadron at Minden , 661 at Herford , 662 at Minden * Detmold , 1977-1980 , 654 & 664 * Detmold , 1981-1983 , 654 & 664 * Detmold , 1983-1990 , 654, 659 & 669 * Deployed as part of the Gulf War with Lynx and Gazelle helicopter. * Detmold , 1990-1994 , 654, 659 & 669 * Detmold , 1994-1995 * UK , 1995-present Structure The regiment consists of: * No. 656 Squadron AAC 656 Squadron AAC is a squadron of the British Army's Army Air Corps. It was chosen as one of the AAC new Apache squadrons and in April 2004 started its conversion to role. The first phase of this completed in October 2004. The squadron was the ... * No. 664 Squadron AAC See also * List of Army Air Corps aircraft units References Citations Bibliography * {{Army Air Corps Army Air Corps regiments Military units and formations establis ...
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3 Regiment Army Air Corps
3 Regiment Army Air Corps (3 Regt AAC) is a regiment of the British Army and is part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade and Attack Helicopter Force (AHF), which is under the authority of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC). As of April 2022, this regiment's commanding officer (CO) is Lieutenant Colonel (Lt. Col.) Simon Wilsey and it is based at Wattisham Flying StationAlso known as Wattisham Airfield. Prior to its take over by the Army Air Corps, it was the Royal Air Force Station Wattisham. in Suffolk, England. This regiment operates the Apache AH Mk1The Apache AH Mk1 is a variant of the U.S. Army's AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter. The Mk1 was built under license from Boeing by AgustaWestland for the British Army. AgustaWestland called it the WAH-64 but, it's official designation from the Ministry of Defense is the Apache AH Mk1. attack helicopter.3 Regiment AAC is transitioning to the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter. They received 14 new AH-64E Apaches on January 21, 2022 and they e ...
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AgustaWestland Apache
The AgustaWestland Apache is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter for the British Army Air Corps. The first eight helicopters were built by Boeing; the remaining 59 were assembled by Westland Helicopters (later AgustaWestland) at Yeovil, Somerset in England from Boeing-supplied kits. Changes from the AH-64D include Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines, a new electronic defensive aids suite and a folding blade mechanism allowing the British version to operate from ships. The helicopter was initially designated WAH-64 by Westland Helicopters and was later given the designation Apache AH Mk 1 (also written as "Apache AH1") by the Ministry of Defence. The Apache was a valued form of close air support in the conflict in Afghanistan, being deployed to the region in 2006. Naval trials and temporary deployments at sea have proven the aircraft as an able platform to operate from the decks of ships, which is a unique application of the Apache ...
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Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan)
Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) is a tri-service organisation uniting battlefield military helicopters of the British Armed Forces for command and coordination purposes. History Background Over the years, the grouping of all battlefield support helicopters operated by the Fleet Air Arm, Army Air Corps and Royal Air Force into one of the services had been discussed, however the Ministry of Defence (MOD) believed that any advantages would be outweighed by the damaging impact such a re-organisation would have on ethos, morale and operational effectiveness. The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), published by the MOD in July 1998, announced that a Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) would be formed, which would deliver training, standards, doctrinal development and support for operations in order to maximise the availability of battlefield helicopters and reinforce their growing importance in military operations. JHC would be a tri-Service organisation, with personnel remaining part of thei ...
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47th Regiment Royal Artillery
47 Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It is equipped with the Thales Watchkeeper WK450. It is located at Horne Barracks, Larkhill in Wiltshire. It falls under command of 1st Aviation Brigade. History The regiment was formed in 1947 when 4th Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery was renamed 47 Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery. It was reformed as 47 Guided Weapons Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the Corporal missile in 1957. In 1965 it was renamed 47 Light Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the 105mm Pack Howitzer and then deployed to Aden in 1967. It saw service in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in 1973 and 1975. In 1976 it became 47 Field Regiment Royal Artillery, initially equipped with the 105mm light gun, before moving on to the Abbott self-propelled gun in 1981. 21 Battery and elements of 43 Battery deployed to the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982. 3 Battery, 31 Battery and ...
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32nd Regiment Royal Artillery
32 Regiment Royal Artillery ("The Wessex Gunners") is a regiment in the Royal Artillery, part of the British Army and is equipped with the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III and PUMA 2 miniature unmanned aerial vehicles. 32nd Regiment is the only Royal Artillery unit that operates MUAS and along with the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery provides an integrated tactical and strategic; intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability. As part of 6th Division, under the immediate command of 1st Intelligence & Surveillance Brigade (1ISR), 32nd Regiment supports the Reactive Force elements of the British Army and provides dedicated MUAS capability to the 3rd (UK) Division. History The regiment has its origins in 7th Medium Brigade which was raised in 1927, evolved into 7th Medium Regiment and served throughout the Second World War. In 1947, the 32nd Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) was retitled as the 45th Field Regiment and the 7th Medium Regiment RHQ ...
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Thales Watchkeeper WK450
The Thales Watchkeeper WK450 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for all weather, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) use by the British Army. It is provided under an £800 million contract with UAS Tactical Systems (U-TacS), a joint venture of Elbit and Thales UK, and is based on Elbit's Hermes 450. Overview The Watchkeeper WK450 is based on the Elbit Hermes 450 UAV and is built in the UK by a joint venture company, UAV Tactical Systems (U-TacS), set up by the Israeli company Elbit Systems (51% ownership) and the Thales group. The Watchkeeper is 6.5m long, with a 10.9m wingspan. Its cruising speed is , and it can operate at an altitude of . It has a takeoff weight of 485 kg, a typical endurance of 14 hours, a payload capacity of 150 kg and uses a rotary Wankel engine provided by UAV Engines Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems, and target acquisition camera by another subsidiary, Instro. It can operate up to 150&nb ...
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857 Naval Air Squadron
857 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It was first formed on 1 April 1944 at Squantum NAS in the United States as a torpedo reconnaissance unit with Grumman Avenger IIs. It reformed in its present state on 13 December 2006, when 849 Naval Air Squadron B Flight recommissioned as 857 Naval Air Squadron. World War II After the squadrons formation, it returned to the UK in June 1944 and re-trained as an anti-submarine unit. It sailed for the Far East in September 1944 embarked on and transferring to in November 1944. The squadron attacked targets throughout Sumatra, the East China Sea and Formosa before sailing to Hong Kong on 1 September 1945. The squadron moved to Australia post war, leaving its aircraft at HMAS ''Albatross'', when it returned to the UK to disband on 20 November 1945. Reformation The unit reformed with the Westland Sea King ASaC.7 on 13 December 2006 at RNAS Culdrose, from 849 Squadron, B Flight. Its first tour of duty w ...
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854 Naval Air Squadron
854 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, first formed on 1 January 1944 at Squantum Naval Air Station in the United States. It was disbanded in December 1945, and reformed December 2006 as a helicopter squadron designed for Airborne Surveillance and Control. History The squadron was formed during the Second World War in January 1944 equipped with Grumman Avenger IIs to operate as an anti-shipping squadron. In May 1944, it arrived back in the United Kingdom, to become part of No.157 Wing, RAF Coastal Command. It operated over the English Channel to carry out anti-shipping patrols in the run-up to the D-Day Allied invasion of Europe. It left for the Far East in September 1944. The squadron carried out operations on board aircraft carrier against Sumatra in December and January 1945. In March and April the squadron attacked targets on the Sakishima Islands. 854 NAS received new Avenger IIIs in July to join the 3rd Carrier Air Group. But shortly ...
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846 Naval Air Squadron
846 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Between December 1979 and the summer of 2013, 846 Naval Air Squadron operated the Westland Sea King HC4 helicopter to provide troop transport and load lifting support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. Based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, 846 NAS stood down in the summer of 2013 and its personnel, buildings and equipment were amalgamated into 845 Naval Air Squadron. The squadron stood up on 30 September 2014 with the AgustaWestland Merlin HC3 and it now holds the Operational Conversion Flight and Maritime Counter Terrorism Role. History Second World War 846 Naval Air Squadron was established in April 1943 at the Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island, United States. It was equipped with 12 Grumman Avenger I torpedo bombers. Two months later the squadron embarked on the escort carrier and was transferred to the UK. Before being assigned to in January 1944, four Grumman Wildcat V fighters we ...
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