Air Marshal Martin Elliot Sampson, is a senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

officer, serving as UK Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa.

RAF career

Sampson was commissioned into the

in 1986. After passing pilot training he flew the SEPECAT Jaguar for 3 years until moving over to the

Harrier jump jet The Harrier, informally referred to as the Harrier jump jet, is a family of jet-powered attack aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations (V/STOL). Named after a bird of prey, it was originally developed by British ma ...

following the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

. He was a Qualified Weapons Instructor on the Harrier and flew over 500 missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, and Kosovo. He served 3 years with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

on an exchange tour flying the

McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier family, capable of vertical or short takeoff and landing (V/STOL). The aircraft is primari ...

and the F-5. He became air officer commanding No. 1 Squadron in 2004, during that period the

Harrier GR9 The British Aerospace Harrier II is a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft used previously by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and, between 2006 and 2010, the Royal Navy (RN). The aircraft was the latest developm ...

was brought into frontline service, with numerous carrier deployments and multiple tours in Afghanistan to support

Operation Herrick Operation Herrick was the codename under which all British operations in the War in Afghanistan were conducted from 2002 to the end of combat operations in 2014. It consisted of the British contribution to the NATO-led International Security Ass ...

. In December 2008, he was promoted to group captain and became Assistant Head Joint Strike and ISTAR. In 2010, Sampson became station commander at

RAF Coningsby Royal Air Force Coningsby or RAF Coningsby , is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located south-west of Horncastle, and north-west of Boston, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and ho ...

as the RAF Typhoon Force Commander. During that time he was deployed to Gioia Del Colle, Italy as a part of

Operation Unified Protector Operation Unified Protector was a NATO operation in 2011 enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions 1970 and 1973 concerning the Libyan Civil War and adopted on 26 February and 17 March 2011, respectively. These resolutions imposed ...

and served as Expeditionary Air Wing Commander for the RAF fast jet operations over Libyan airspace. Additionally, Sampson flew 2 seasons with the

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft are regularly seen at events c ...

flying

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

and

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

. In November 2012, he was promoted to air commodore and appointed Joint Force Air Component Commander. In 2014 he assumed command of the No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group and the position of UK Air Component Commander. He commanded all RAF operations over Iraq and Syria during

Operation Shader Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the contribution of the United Kingdom in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The operation involves the British Army providing ground s ...

. In February 2021, he was promoted to air marshal and appointed serving as UK Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa. Over the course of his flying career Sampson has accumulated over 3500 hours flying hours in several different types of fast jet aircraft including the Jaguar, the Harrier and the

Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon is a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. It was intended to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, but several design problems were encountered and i ...

Honours and decorations

In 2006, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

in recognition of his command of the Harrier Squadron during two tours in Afghanistan. On 21 April 2017, Sampson was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in recognition of his services.

References

, - , - Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force air marshals Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel 21st-century Royal Air Force personnel Royal Air Force personnel of the Iraq War Royal Air Force personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) {{RAF-bio-stub