No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit was an Operational conversion unit of the

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 ...

which existed between 1955 and 1986

First formation

The unit was first formed at RAF Gaydon (now Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre) on 21 February 1955 (shortly after Gaydon reopened following expansion) operating a number of aircraft including

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...

T.4s,

Vickers Valiant The Vickers Valiant was a British high-altitude jet bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons, and in the 1950s and 1960s was part of the Royal Air Force's " V bomber" strategic deterrent force. It was developed by Vickers-Armstrongs in respon ...

B.1s and

Handley Page Victor The Handley Page Victor is a British jet-powered strategic bomber developed and produced by Handley Page during the Cold War. It was the third and final '' V bomber'' to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two being the Avr ...

B.1 & B.2s (two of the three

V bomber The "V bombers" were the Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft during the 1950s and 1960s that comprised the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear strike force known officially as the V force or Bomber Command Main Force. The three models of strategic ...

s) and was disbanded still at Gaydon with the Victor element becoming the Tanker Training Flight. History of the Tanker Training Flight Formed at RAF Marham operating various marks of the Victor and a de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, being disbanded on 13 October 1969 becoming the Victor Training Unit.

Second formation

232 OCU was reformed at

RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating Ba ...

on 6 February 1970 by merging the Victor (B.2) Training Flight and the Victor Training Unit and was disbanded on 4 April 1986 still at Marham. History of the Victor (B.2) Training Flight Formed at

RAF Cottesmore Royal Air Force Station Cottesmore or more simply RAF Cottesmore is a former Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. On 15 December 2009, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced that the ...

(now Kendrew Barracks) on 1 April 1962, operating Victor B.2's, disbanded eight years later at

RAF Wittering Royal Air Force Wittering or more simply RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and the unitary authority area of North Northamptonshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire ...

. History of the Victor Training Unit Formed at RAF Cottesmore during September 1961, operating B.2's, disbanded less than a year still at Cottesmore.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{RAF Conversion units Conversion units of the Royal Air Force