Air Support Command of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

was formed on 1 August 1967 by the redesignation of

Transport Command RAF Transport Command was a Royal Air Force command that controlled all transport aircraft of the RAF. It was established on 25 March 1943 by the renaming of the RAF Ferry Command, and was subsequently renamed RAF Air Support Command in 19 ...

. Its change of name reflected the change of emphasis of the Command from solely transporting materials and manpower around the world to providing general support to RAF operations around the world. The result of this broader role meant that Air Support Command, unlike its predecessor

, possessed strike aircraft such as

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...

s. With the contraction of the RAF, it only lasted a short time as a command, and it was absorbed into Strike Command on 1 September 1972 forming No. 38 Group and No. 46 Group within Strike Command. The former was designated as a tactical support and the latter as a strategic support group. Order of Battle: April 1972 - HQ at Upavon *

RAF Andover RAF Andover is a former Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station in England, west of Andover, Hampshire. As well as RFC and RAF units, units of the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, Royal Ca ...

** No. 21 Squadron RAF - Devon, Pembroke *

RAF Benson Royal Air Force Benson or RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station located at Benson, Oxfordshire, Benson, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire, Wallingford, in South Oxfordshire, England. It is a front-line st ...

** Queen's Flight - Andover, Chipmunk, Heron & Whirlwind *

RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton is the largest List of Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Air Force. Situated in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, it is close to the village of Brize Norton and the tow ...

** No. 10 Squadron RAF - VC10 **

No. 53 Squadron RAF No. 53 Squadron was a Royal Air Force Squadron (aviation), squadron that saw service in both the First World War, First and Second World Wars. History No. 53 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at RAF Catterick, Catterick on 15 May ...

- Belfast ** No. 99 Squadron RAF - Britannia ** No. 511 Squadron RAF - Britannia ** No. 241 Operational Conversion Unit RAF - Belfast, Britannia & VC10 *

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 h ...

** No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit RAF - Phantom *

RAF Lyneham Royal Air Force Lyneham otherwise known as RAF Lyneham was a Royal Air Force station located northeast of Chippenham, Wiltshire, and southwest of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The station was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transpo ...

No. 216 Squadron RAF Number 216 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, since reforming on 1 April 2020 and is tasked with testing future Swarm robotics, drone swarm technology. It had previously operated Lockheed TriStar ...

- Comet *

RAF Northolt Royal Air Force Northolt or more simply RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station in South Ruislip, from Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, western Greater London, England, approximately north of ...

** No. 32 Squadron RAF - Andover, Dominie, Basset & Whirlwind *

RAF Odiham Royal Air Force Odiham or more simply RAF Odiham is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station situated a little to the south of the village of Odiham in Hampshire, England. It is the home of the Royal Air Force's heavy lift he ...

** No. 240 Operational Conversion Unit RAF - Puma & Wessex * RAF Thorney Island ** No. 242 Operational Conversion Unit RAF - Andover & Hercules *

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 ...

** No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit RAF - Harrier

Commanders in Chief

Commanders-in-Chief included:Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - RAF Home Commands formed between 1958 - 2002
accessed February 2022. *1 August 1967 - Air Marshal Sir

Thomas Prickett Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Öther Prickett, (31 July 1913 – 23 January 2010) was a Royal Air Force bomber pilot in the Second World War and a senior commander in the 1950s and 1960s. He was chief of staff to the air commander, Air Marshal ...

*1 July 1968 - Air Marshal Sir Lewis Hodges *1 October 1970 - Air Marshal Sir Harry Burton

References

* , - Air Support Command Transport units and formations of the Royal Air Force Military units and formations established in 1967 {{RAF-stub

Commanders in Chief

See also

References