No. 1563 Flight RAF (1563 Flt) is an independent

flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

of the British

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) and ...

(RAF). It operates the Westland Puma HC2 helicopters in Brunei. It previously flew tactical support missions for locally garrisoned

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

units, as well as

Belize Defence Force The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the military of Belize, and is responsible for protecting the sovereignty of the country. The BDF is under the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, which is currently headed by Hon. Florencio Marin Jr ...

units in

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. Betweeb 1963 and 1972 it was stationed at

RAF Akrotiri RAF Akrotiri ( el, Βασιλική Πολεμική Αεροπορία Ακρωτηρίου) is a large Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which compr ...

flying Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 helicopters on support missions for locally garrisoned British Army and

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

troops.

No. 1563 (Meteorological) Flight RAF

No. 1563 (Meteorological) Flight RAF was formed in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

around December 1942, operating a variety of fixed-wing aircraft on meteorological observation duties, disbanding in May 1946.

No. 1563 (Helicopter) Flight RAF

No. 1563 (Helicopter) Flight RAF was formed at

from elements of

No. 103 Squadron RAF No. 103 Squadron was a Royal Air Force bomber squadron during World War I, World War II and the Cold War, switching to helicopters in the late 1950s until it was disbanded for the last time in 1975. History Formation in World War I No. 103 S ...

(103 Sqn) in 1963, flying Bristol Sycamore HAR.14 helicopters, initially, later flying Westland Whirlwind HAR.10s. 1563 (Helicopter) Flt amalgamated with elements of

No. 230 Squadron RAF No. 230 Squadron is an RAF squadron, currently based at RAF Benson. The squadron was part of Royal Air Force Germany, operating the Puma HC.1 there from 1980. Following the drawdown at the end of the Cold War, the squadron disbanded on 30 April ...

(230 Sqn) on 19 January 1972, to become

No. 84 Squadron RAF No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, using the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently one of the two operational parts of the RAF Search and Rescue Force left in serv ...

(84 Sqn), which is currently (2020) still resident at RAF Akrotiri flying the Bell Griffin HAR.2.

No. 1563 (Tactical Support) Flight

British Forces Belize

In 1975, with

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

in the grip of a bloody civil war, there was a real fear that Guatemalan forces might invade

and at the very least widen their

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

coastline. To support the resident British Army garrison, a detachment of four Westland Puma HC.1 helicopters from No. 230 Squadron was sent to

Belize international airport Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport is an airport that serves the nation of Belize's largest city, Belize City along the eastern coast of Central America. It was named after politician Philip Goldson, Philip S. W. Goldson, who died in ...

Ladyville Ladyville is the largest village in the country of Belize, eight miles northwest of Belize City in the Belize District. The Philip Goldson Highway connects Ladyville to Belize City. History Although originally a separate settlement, Ladyville ha ...

in November 1975. There they set about supporting the British Army role of deterring aggression from neighbours of Belize and supporting the jungle training task, as well as providing much needed Search And Rescue cover for the military and civilian population. Aircraft and crews proceeded to be deployed from No. 33 Squadron at RAF Odiham and No. 230 Squadron generally with a ratio of 3:1 with three of the four aircraft, (needs checking), and crews being provided by No. 33 Squadron and the fourth crew from No. 230 Squadron due to their operational/training tempo in the European theater. Thus, under normal manning, there would be three pilots and three crewmen from No. 33 Squadron and a pilot and crewman from No. 230 Squadron. Puma helicopters of 1563 Flt were instrumental in securing diplomatic assurances for the future of Belize, after supporting Harrier aircraft of No. 1417 Flight taking part in air shows at

La Aurora International Airport La Aurora International Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora, ) serves Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located south of Guatemala City's center and from Antigua Guatemala. It is administered by the Dirección General de Aeronáut ...

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...

, for the 69th and 70th anniversaries of the

Guatemalan Air Force The Guatemalan Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca or ''FAG'') is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history. The FAG is a subordinate to the Guatemalan Military and its commanding officer reports to th ...

, in 1990 and 1991.

Iraq

To support the Black Watch battle group, (part of UK 4 Armoured Brigade), in eastern

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, 1563 (Tactical Support) Flt was re-formed at

Basrah International Airport 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 bu ...

. Flying Puma HC.1 helicopters, the Flight was stood up in 2004 and disbanded again in October 2009.

Brunei

The flight was re-formed in 2022 to support

British Army Jungle Warfare Training School The British Army Jungle Warfare Training School (Jungle Warfare Division - JWD) is the British Army's training establishment located at Medicina Lines, Seria, in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The courses run by JWD which train soldiers an ...

and the Gurkha battalion in

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

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References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:No. 1563 Flight RAF 1563 Flt Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1993