No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron RAF


role=Air transport
equipment=BAe 146, BAe 125 & Agusta A109
garrison=RAF Northolt
motto="Adeste Comites" (Rally round, comrades)"
identification_symbol=A hunting horn stringed
dates=12 January 1916
battle_honours=Western Front 1916-1918, Somme 1916-1918, Arras, Ypres 1917, Amiens, France and Low Countries 193-1940, Battle of Britain 1940, Home Defence 1940-1942, Dieppe, North Africa 1942-1943, Italy 1943, South East Europe 1944-1945, Gulf 1991

No. 32 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates from RAF Northolt, west London, in the VIP and general air transport roles.

History

Formation

No. 32 Squadron was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps on 12 January 1916 at Netheravon and moved to France as a fighter squadron in May. Equipped with Airco DH.2s it flew patrols over the Western Front for a year before beginning to re-equip with the Airco DH 5. These in turn began to be replaced by the S.E.5a in December 1917 which were flown for the rest of the war on fighter and ground attack missions. On 1 April 1918 it became part of the new Royal Air Force. In March 1919, the squadron returned to the UK as a cadre and disbanded on 29 December 1919.

Between the Wars

The squadron reformed on 1 April 1923 at Kenley as a single flight of Sopwith Snipe fighters. A second flight was formed on 10 December 1923 and a third brought the squadron up to strength on 1 June 1924. Gloster Grebes were received at the end of 1924 and were replaced by Gloster Gamecocks two years later. Equipped in succession with Armstrong Whitworth Siskins, Bristol Bulldogs and Gloster Gauntlets, No. 32 Squadron received the Hawker Hurricane in October 1938.

econd World War

In May 1940, the squadron flew patrols over northern France and took part in the defence of south-east England based at RAF Biggin Hill during the opening weeks of the Battle of Britain before moving to northern England at the end of August 1940. Soon after this No. 32 Squadron converted to the Supermarine Spitfire Mark Vc aircraft. Operations included a deployment to Greece, where the squadron took part in the Greek Civil War from September 1944 to February 1945.

Post-war

After the end of the Second World War, the squadron continued as a fighter squadron, flying Spitfires, Vampires and Venoms from bases in Palestine, Egypt and Cyprus. In January 1957, the squadron converted to Canberra bombers at RAF Weston Zoyland, flying these from Cyprus until February 1969.

VIP transport

The Metropolitan Communications Squadron was formed on 8 April 1944 by the renaming of No. 510 Squadron for VIP air transport. Simultaneous with No.32 Squadron being disbanded in Cyprus in February 1969, the Metropolitan Communications Squadron was renamed No. 32 Squadron. It operated a variety of aircraft, including Hawker Siddeley Andovers and Westland Whirlwind helicopters.

The squadron acquired four HS.125 CC.1s business jets in 1971. These would be supplemented and then replaced by two HS.125 CC.2s delivered in 1973 and 6 BAe 125 CC.3s delivered in 1982 and 1983. Five CC.3s remain in service.

Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters served with the squadron from 1976 onwards. These were replaced by the Twin Squirrel in 1996.

On 1 April 1995 the Queen's Flight, equipped with BAe 146 CC.2 and Wessex HCC.4 aircraft, was merged into No. 32 Squadron to become No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron. Since then, 32 Squadron's aircraft have served as transports in several recent conflicts including Operation Granby ("Gulf War"), Operation Veritas ("Afghanistan") and Operation Telic ("Iraq 2003"). The merged squadron continues to be referred to in the press and by the public (inaccurately) as the "Royal Flight" or the "Queen's Flight".

Two preserved examples of the squadron's ex-Queen's Flight Wessex helicopters can be seen at The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare and RAF Hendon air museum.

This merger ended the RAF's provision of dedicated VIP transport aircraft, the aircraft of No. 32 Squadron are only available to VIP passengers if not needed for military operations. This was declared officially in 1999, with the MOD stating "the principal purpose of 32 Squadron [is] to provide communications and logistical support to military operations; the Squadron's capacity should be based on military needs only; and any royal or other non-military use of... spare capacity is secondary to its military purpose." [National Audit Office "Royal travel by air and rail"]

In 2004 the squadron's aircraft lost their distinctive livery inherited from The Queen's Flight, featuring red flying surfaces. This was due to the concern over the aircraft's vulnerability to terrorist attack. While they do carry missile countermeasures it is felt that a more civilian-like livery lowered the profile of the squadron's aircraft.

In May 2005 the Defence Logistics Organisation's Helicopter and Islander Combined (HIC) IPT awarded AgustaWestland a five-year contract from 1 April, 2006 to provide three AgustaWestland A109Es to replace the three Twin Squirrels.

Squadron strength

*'A' Flight - 2 BAe 146 CC.2
*'B' Flight - 3 Agusta A109
*'C' Flight - 6 BAe 125 CC.3

See also

* Air transports of Heads of State

References