Many aircraft types have served in 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) an ...

since its formation in April 1918 from the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. This is a list of RAF aircraft, including all currently active and retired types listed in alphabetic order by their RAF type name. For just those aircraft currently in service, see

List of active United Kingdom military aircraft This is a list of military aircraft currently in service with the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. Royal Air Force , - ! colspan="8" , Combat Aircraft , - , Eurofighter Typhoon , , United Kingdom , , Jet , , Multi-role , , 2007 , ...

. Aircraft operated with the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

from 1924 until 1939 were operated by the Royal Air Force on behalf of the Navy and are included; those operated by the Royal Navy after it re-acquired control of the aircraft used to support its operations in 1939 are not, but all aircraft operated in conjunction with the Navy are listed at List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm.

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

aircraft are not included but can be found at

List of aircraft of the Army Air Corps This is a list of aircraft of the Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), Army Air Corps of the United Kingdom. Aircraft From its founding in 1942: *Airspeed Horsa *Auster AOP.6 *General Aircraft Hamilcar *General Aircraft Hotspur *Taylorcraft Auste ...

. For aircraft operated before the merger of the RFC and RNAS in 1918: * Refer to List of aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps * Refer to List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service.

Regular service with the RAF

Aircraft impressed into RAF service

Civil aircraft

Military aircraft

Captured or interned

Captured or interned examples of the following aircraft were at one time flown by either the RAF or more normally by the Royal Aircraft Establishment for evaluation.

Argentine aircraft

FMA IA 58 Pucará The FMA IA 58 Pucará ( qu, Fortress) is an Argentine ground-attack and counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft manufactured by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones. It is a low-wing twin-turboprop all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear, capa ...

, Eleven Argentinian aircraft were captured during the Falklands War. Six were taken back to the United Kingdom. Two are on display at the

RAF Museum Cosford The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, located in Cosford in Shropshire, is a free (currently, 2022) museum dedicated to the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a non-departme ...

and at the

North East Aircraft Museum The North East Land, Sea and Air Museums (NELSAM), formerly the North East Aircraft Museum, is a volunteer-run aviation museum situated on the site of the former RAF Usworth/Sunderland Airport, between Washington and Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear ...

German aircraft

Arado Ar 96 The Arado Ar 96 was a German single-engine, low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, produced by Arado Flugzeugwerke. It was the '' Luftwaffe''s standard advanced trainer during World War II. Design and development Designed by Walter B ...

, Ar 196, Ar 232, Ar 234 *

Blohm & Voss BV 138 The Blohm & Voss BV 138 ''Seedrache'' (Sea Dragon), but nicknamed ''Der Fliegende Holzschuh'' ("flying clog",Nowarra 1997, original German title of the Schiffer book. from the side-view shape of its fuselage, as well as a play on the title of t ...

, BV 155, BV 222 * Brunswick LF-1 Zaunkonig * Bücker Bü 131, Bü 180, Bü 181 *

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing a ...

, Do 24,

Do 217 The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German '' Luftwaffe'' during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomb ...

, Do 335 * DFS 228 *

Fieseler Fi 103 The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug and in Germany as ...

, Fi 156, Fl 282 *

Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 The Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 ''Drache'' () was a helicopter developed by Germany during World War II. A single Bramo 323 radial engine powered two three-bladed rotors mounted on twin booms on either side of the cylindrical fuselage. Although the ...

, Fa 330 * Focke-Wulf Fw 58, Fw 189,

Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' ("Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, t ...

, Ta 152,

Fw 200 The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 ''Condor'', also known as ''Kurier'' to the Allies (English: Courier), was a German all-metal four-engined monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a long-range airliner. A Japanese request for a long-range maritime p ...

* Fokker D.VII *

Gotha Go 145 The Gotha Go 145 is a German World War II-era biplane of wood and fabric construction used by ''Luftwaffe'' training units. Although obsolete by the start of World War II, the Go 145 remained in operational service until the end of the War in Eu ...

, Go 150 * Halberstadt D.III *

Heinkel He 59 The Heinkel He 59 was a twin-engined German biplane designed in 1930, resulting from a requirement for a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft able to operate on wheeled landing gear or twin-floats. Development In 1930, Ernst Heinkel bega ...

He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...

, He 115, He 162,

He 177 The Heinkel He 177 ''Greif'' (Griffin) was a long-range heavy bomber flown by the ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. The introduction of the He 177 to combat operations was significantly delayed, by both problems with the development of its ...

, He 219 *

Henschel Hs 129 The Henschel Hs 129 was a World War II ground-attack aircraft fielded by the German ''Luftwaffe''. The aircraft saw combat in Tunisia and on the Eastern Front. A key requirement of the original specification was that the aircraft be powered b ...

, Hs 130 *

Horten Ho IV The Horten H.IV was a German tailless flying wing glider in which the pilot was to lie in a prone position to reduce the frontal area, and hence drag. It was designed by Reimar and Walter Horten in Göttingen. Four were built between 1941 and ...

, Ho 229 *

Junkers Ju 52/3m Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft and aircraft engine manufacturer. It was founded there in Dessau, Germ ...

, Ju 87,

Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...

, Ju 188, Ju 290, Ju 352, Ju 388, W 34 * Klemm Kl 35 *

Messerschmitt Bf 108 The Messerschmitt Bf 108 ''Taifun'' (English: "Typhoon") was a German single-engine sport and touring aircraft, developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in the 1930s. The Bf 108 was of all-metal construction. Design and development Originally desi ...

, Bf 109,

Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...

, Me 163,

Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed ''Schwalbe'' (German: "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ''Sturmvogel'' (German: "Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German ...

, Me 323, Me 410 *

Siebel Fh 104 The Siebel Fh 104 Hallore was a small German twin-engined transport, communications and liaison aircraft built by Siebel. Design and development In 1934, the Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau set up a new factory at Halle, for production of all-metal ai ...

, Si 204

Italian aircraft

* Caproni Ca.100, Ca.101, Ca.148, Ca 309, Ca.311 * Caproni-Campini CC.2 *

Cant Z.501 The CANT Z.501 ''Gabbiano'' (Italian language, Italian: ''Gull'') was a high-wing central-hull flying boat, with two outboard floats. It was powered by a single engine installed in the middle of the main-planeAngelucci and Matricardi 1978, p. 18 ...

, Z.506 * Fiat CR.42, G.12, G.50, G.55 * Macchi MC.200, MC.202 * Saiman 200,

202 Year 202 ( CCII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Antoninus (or, less frequently, year 955 '' Ab urbe condi ...

Savoia-Marchetti SM.73 The Savoia-Marchetti S.73 was an Italian three-engine airliner that flew in the 1930s and early 1940s. The aircraft entered service in March 1935 with a production run of 48 aircraft. Four were exported to Belgium for SABENA, while seven others ...

, SM.79, SM.81, SM.82, SM.95

Japanese aircraft

Kawasaki Ki-48 The Kawasaki Ki-48 ( ja, 九九式雙發輕爆擊機, shiki-souhatu-keibaku, shortened to 'Sokei', Army Type 99 Twin-engined Light Bomber), was a Japanese twin-engine light bomber that was used during World War II. Its Allied reporting name was ...

, Ki-61, Ki-100 * Kawanishi H6K * Kyushu K9W *

Mitsubishi A6M The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was ...

, G4M, J2M, Ki-21, Ki-46, Ki-67 *

Nakajima A6M2-N The Nakajima A6M2-N (Navy Type 2 Interceptor/Fighter-Bomber) was a single-crew floatplane based on the Mitsubishi A6M Zero Model 11. The Allied reporting name for the aircraft was Rufe. Design and development The A6M2-N floatplane was develo ...

, L2D, Ki-43, Ki-44 *

Yokosuka MXY8 The Yokosuka MXY8 ''Akigusa'' (秋草, "Autumn grass") was a training glider built in parallel with the Mitsubishi J8M rocket-powered interceptor aircraft. Design and development The J8M was to have simply been a licence-built Messerschmitt Me ...

* Tachikawa Ki-36, Ki-54, Ki-55

Schneider Trophy seaplanes

Aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in support of its efforts in the

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flyin ...

races, and includes aircraft used solely as trainers. * Fairey Flycatcher biplane floatplane * Fairey Firefly IIM biplane floatplane * Fairey Fleetwing biplane floatplane *

Gloster I The Nieuport Nighthawk was a British fighter aircraft developed by the Nieuport & General Aircraft company for the Royal Air Force towards the end of the First World War. Although ordered into production before the aircraft first flew, it did n ...

1925 & 1927 biplane floatplaneThetford, 1978, p. 590 *

Gloster III The Gloster III was a British racing floatplane of the 1920s intended to compete for the Schneider Trophy air race. A single-engined, single-seat biplane, two were built, with one finishing second in the 1925 race. Design and development In 19 ...

1925 biplane floatplane * Gloster IV 1926-1927 biplane floatplaneThetford, 1978, p. 591 *

Gloster VI The Gloster VI was a racing seaplane developed as a contestant for the 1929 Schneider Trophy by the Gloster Aircraft Company. The aircraft was known as the ''Golden Arrow'', partly in reference to its colour, the distinctive three-lobed cowling ...

''Golden Arrow'' 1929 monoplane floatplane * Short Crusader 1927 monoplane floatplane * Supermarine S.5 1927 monoplane floatplane * Supermarine S.6 1929 monoplane floatplaneThetford, 1978, pp. 473–474 * Supermarine S.6B 1931 monoplane floatplane

Training gliders

The following Gliders are or were flown by RAF training squadrons: * Slingsby Cadet TX.1 - Single-seat training glider * Slingsby Cadet TX.2 - Single-seat training glider * Slingsby Sedbergh TX.1 - Two-seat training glider * Slingsby Prefect TX.1 - Single-seat training glider * Slingsby Cadet TX.3 - Two-seat training glider * Slingsby Grasshopper TX.1 - Primary Glider * Slingsby T.45 Swallow - Single-seat Glider * Slingsby T.53B * Slingsby Venture T.2 - Two-seat self launching motor glider * Elliotts Eton TX.1 - Primary glider * Grob Viking TX.1 - German built training glider * Grob Vigilant T.1 - German built self Launching motor glider (1991) * Schempp-Hirth Janus C - German built training sailplane * Schleicher Valiant TX.1 - German built sailplane * Schleicher Vanguard TX.1 - German built training glider

Airships and balloons

List of British airships Airship development in the United Kingdom lagged behind that of Germany and France. The first British designed and built airship was constructed by Stanley Spencer, and on 22 September 1902 was flown from Crystal Palace, London to Ruislip, carr ...

* Barrage balloons

UAVs and drones

* Airspeed Queen Wasp - target drone *

de Havilland Queen Bee The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

- target drone *

Fairey Queen The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants. First flying on 14 September 1917, examples were still in us ...

- target drone *

GAF Jindivik The GAF Jindivik is a radio-controlled target drone produced by the Australian Government Aircraft Factories (GAF). The name is from an Aboriginal Australian word meaning "the hunted one". Two manually-controlled prototypes, were built as the GAF ...

Target drone A target drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, generally remote controlled, usually used in the training of anti-aircraft crews. One of the earliest drones was the British DH.82 Queen Bee, a variant of the Tiger Moth trainer aircraft operational ...

* General Atomics Reaper - ISTAR *

Meggitt Banshee The BTT3 Banshee, formerly the Target Technology Banshee & Meggitt Banshee, is a British target drone developed in the 1980s for air defence systems training. Design and development The Banshee was developed by Target Technology Ltd. The compa ...

* Miles Queen MartinetThetford, 1978, p. 411 * Target Technology Ltd Imp

Notes

Footnotes

References

* Halley, James J. ''The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. . * Hamlin, John F. ''The Oxford, Consul & Envoy File''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2001. * Jefford, C.G. ''RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1988 (second edition 2001). . * Moss, Peter W, ''Impressments Log'' Volume 1 United Kingdom. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1962. * Moss, Peter W, ''Impressments Log'' Volume 3 United Kingdom. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1964. * Moyes, Philip J.R. ''Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 2nd edition 1976. . * Owen Thetford: ''Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918'' 7th edition. Putnam & Co., London 1978, . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Jane's Publishing Company Ltd., 1982. . * Rawlings, John D.R. ''Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft''. London: Macdonald & Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 1969 (2nd edition 1976, reprinted 1978). . *

External links

RAF Museum collection by type

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aircraft Of The Royal Air Force Royal Air Force aircraft Royal Air Force aicraft Royal Air Force lists