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	Topics RAF Regiment Topic Home The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regt) is a specialist airfield defence CorpsCorps A corps is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common func... founded by Royal WarrantRoyal Warrant In the United Kingdom, a Royal Warrant of Appointment is a grant made by senior members of the British Royal Family to compa... in 1942. It is responsible for seizing, securing and defending airfields, and training Royal Air ForceFacts About Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces.... personnel in military skills. Members of the Regiment are known within the RAF as 'Rock Apes' or 'Rocks'. History The genesis of the RAF Regiment was with the creation of No. 1 Armoured Car Company RAF in 1921 for operations in IraqRAF Iraq Command Iraq Command was the RAF-led tri-service command in charge of all British forces in Iraq in the 1920s and early 1930s. ... , followed shortly afterwards by Nos II and 3 companies. These were equipped with Rolls-Royce Armoured CarFacts About Rolls-Royce Armoured Car The Rolls-Royce armoured car was a British armoured car developed in 1914 and used in World War I and in the early part of W... s and were highly successful in ground combat operations throughout the Middle EastMiddle East Overview The Middle East is a subcontinent for the historical and cultural subregion of Africa-Eurasia traditionally held to be count... in the 1920s and 1930s. The RAF Regiment came into existence, in name, on 5 February 1942. From the start it had both field squadrons and light anti-aircraft squadrons, the latter originally armed with Hispano 20mm cannon and then the Bofors 40 mm gunBofors 40 mm gun The Bofors 40 mm gun is a famous anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish firm of Bofors.... anti aircraft gun. Its role was to seize, secure and defend airfields to enable air operations to take place. Several parachuteParachute A parachute is a soft fabric device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag.... squadrons were formed to assist in the seizing of airfields and No II Squadron retains this capability. 284 Field Squadron was the first RAF unit to arrive in West BerlinWest Berlin West Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990.... in 1945, to secure RAF GatowFacts About RAF Gatow Known for most of its operational life as Royal Air Force Station Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, this former RAF m... . The Regiment has a museum at RAF HoningtonRAF Honington RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station 6 miles S of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England.... near Bury St Edmunds. The RAF Regiment frequently mounts the King's Guard/Queen's GuardQueen's Guard The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard are the names given to contingents of cavalry and infantry soldiers charged w... at Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.... , St James's Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of LondonTower of London The Tower of London is a dominating landmark in central Londonin the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on the eastern border o... , with the first occasion being on 1 April 1943. During World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... , the RAF Regiment grew to a force of 66,000 men in 280 Squadrons of 185 men each (each squadron including five officers). Each squadron consisted of a Headquarters Flight, three Rifle Flights, an Air-Defence Flight, and an Armoured-Car Flight. The flights were grouped together into WingsWing (air force unit) Wing is a term used by different air forces for a unit of command.... as needed. It also operated six Armoured Car Squadrons to provide an area response capability to several RAF stationFacts About RAF station An RAF station is a permanent Royal Air Force operations location.... s. Light Armoured Squadrons, equipped with FV101 ScorpionFV101 Scorpion The FV101 Scorpion is a modern British light tank, part of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance or, CVR family.... and FV107 ScimitarFV107 Scimitar FV107 Scimitar is an armoured reconnaissance vehicle, although sometimes classed as a light tank used by the British Army.... light tankTank Overview A tank is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle, designed to engage enemy forces by the use of direct fire.... s, continued to be operated into the 1980s. Formerly the RAF's firefighterFirefighter A firefighter, fireman, or firewoman, is a person who is trained and equipped to put out fires, rescue people, p... s were also members of the RAF Regiment, although they are now independent of it. Origin of the 'Rock Ape' nickname In the past the nickname 'Rock Ape' has been attributed to their traditional role guarding areas of GibraltarGibraltar Gibraltar is a British overseas territory.... , but this is not so. The term came into use after an accident in the Western Aden Protectorate in November 1952. Two Regiment officers serving with the APL at Dhala decided to amuse themselves by going out to shoot some of the baboonBaboon The baboons are some of the largest non-hominid members of the primate order; only the Mandrill and the Drill are larger.... s (locally referred to as "rock apes"). The officers drew rifles and split up to hunt the apes yet in the semi-darkness one of the officers fired at a moving object in the distance. When he reached the target he discovered he had shot the other officer. After emergency treatment Flight LieutenantFacts About Flight Lieutenant Flight Lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries.... Mason survived to return to service a few months later. When asked why he had fired at his friend by a board of inquiry the officer replied that his target had 'looked just like a rock ape' in the half light. The remark soon reverberated around the RAF and it was not long before the term was in general use. Organisation and current role The RAF Regiment comes under command of 2 GroupNo. 2 Group RAF Overview Number 2 Group of the Royal Air Force is one of the two groups in RAF Strike Command.... , Air CommandRAF Air Command Air Command is the only command currently active in the Royal Air Force.... . Its members are organised into ten regular squadronSquadron A squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, aircraft, or warships. ... s. The Regiment has nine field squadrons including three Royal Auxiliary Air ForceRoyal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force is the volunteer reserve part of the Royal Air Force.... (RAuxAF) squadrons, responsible for defending airfields against ground attack. Whilst apparently similar to British ArmyBritish Army The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces.... infantryInfantry Infantry is a term for soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units.... , they are trained, equipped and manned to deal with the requirements of protecting high-value air assets during operations across the spectrum of conflict. They are particularly equipped with a range of direct and indirect fire systems and specialist surveillanceFacts About Surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior.... and night visionNight vision Summary Night vision is the ability to see, whether through biological or technological means, in a dark environment.... equipment. Unlike the infantry, each member of a field squadron is required to master a wide range of skills that include covert observation and target acquisition, and dismounted close combat. The unique nature of air operations is such that RAF Regiment personnel must have a specific understanding of its requirements in order to ensure that the tactics, techniques and procedures employed do not disrupt those operations. Additionally, because air bases are fixed and supporting elements are unable to redeploy quickly, field squadrons must engage an attacking adversary at the earliest opportunity to prevent air operations from being disrupted. This requires RAF Regiment personnel to operate in small groups and to be trained and prepared to engage the adversary in combat frequently without the level of support that would be commonplace on an infantry battlegroup. Field Squadrons employ a variety of tactics to defend airfields, often operating up to 40 km from the airfield in mobile long range patrols. Field Squadrons are divided into FlightsFlight (military unit) A flight is a military unit in an air force, naval air service, or army air corps.... , which are the equivalent of an army platoonPlatoon Summary A platoon is a military unit. In an army, a platoon is a unit of thirty to forty soldiers typically commanded by a lieutenan... . Each squadron contains several Rifle Flights, whose task is to engage the enemy at very close range, and a Support Weapons Flight, which provides fire support to the Rifle Flights by using machine gunMachine gun A machine gun is a fully-automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rifle cartridges in quick successio... s, mortarMortar (weapon) A mortar is a muzzle-loading artillery piece that fires indirect shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing bal... s, portable anti-tank weapons, and sniperSniper [Image:01_SNIPERS_.jpg\|thumb\|right\|200px\| French Special Forces Sniping Team.... s. The field squadrons are 166 strong (increasing soon to 171 strong) making them considerably larger than an infantry companyCompany (military unit) Summary A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100-200 soldiers.... in the armyArmy Army can, in some countries, refer to any armed force.... but unable to deploy like the infantry as an independent unit. All RAF Regiment personnel are male, in line with the British Government policy that women cannot serve in front line close-combat units. There are approximately 2,000 regular airmen (i.e. Other RanksOther Ranks Summary Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers.... ), 300 regular officers, and 500 reservists. Since 1990, the RAF Regiment has supported air operations in AfghanistanAfghanistan Afghanistan ; Persian : ?????? ?????? ?????????, Pashto: ? ????????? ?????? ???????) is a landlocked country at ... , BosniaBosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country on the Balkan peninsula of southern Europe with an area of 51,129 km , and an estim... , CroatiaCroatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a country in Europe, at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Central... , CyprusCyprus [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia\|Base Areas]... , Falkland IslandsFalkland Islands The Falkland Islands, also called the Malvinas, are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located 300 miles from ... , IraqIraq The Republic of Iraq, is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia encompassing most of Mesopotamia as well as the north... , KosovoKosovo Kosovo is a province in southern Serbia which has been under United Nations administration since 1999.... , KuwaitKuwait Summary The State of Kuwait is a small constitutional monarchy on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia in the so... , Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and covers 5,459 square miles in the northeast of the island of Irelan... , Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula.... and Sierra LeoneSierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa.... . Furthermore, RAF Regiment officers and Senior Non Commissioned Officers have been seconded to the Army as instructors and more recently, as Forward Air Controllers. Specialist squadrons and units I SquadronNo. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment Summary No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... took part in the Berlin Airlift, the 1991 Gulf WarGulf War The Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of approximately 20 nations led by the United States and mand... , and the 2003 invasion of IraqFacts About 2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq, termed "Operation Iraqi Freedom" by the US administration, began on March 20.... . II SquadronNo. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment is based at RAF Honington in Suffolk.It is a parachute-trained Field Squadron in the RAF Regimen... is a parachute-trained Field Squadron which is capable of inserting by parachute and securing forward airfields. 3 SquadronNo. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... is a Field Squadron which until recently has been deployed to guarantee the security of RAF AldergroveRAF Aldergrove Summary RAF Aldergrove is a Royal Air Force station situated 18 miles north-west of Belfast.... and Belfast International AirportBelfast International Airport Belfast International Airport is an airport located some 21 kilometres northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland.... in Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and covers 5,459 square miles in the northeast of the island of Irelan... . The squadron relocated to RAF Wittering in February 2007 after a 7 month tour in Basra, Iraq. 27 SquadronNo. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... is an element of the Jt CBRN Regt alongside 1st Royal Tank Regt. The sqn. operates the chemical, biological and radiological detection equipment and can operate in the infantry role. In addition, the Regiment has a ground extraction unit attached to No. 28 Squadron RAFFacts About No. 28 Squadron RAF No. 28 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Merlin HC3 from RAF Benson.... , which provides Search and Rescue teams to recover downed RAF Aircrew. 51 SquadronFacts About No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... also took part in the 1991 Gulf War, the 2003 invasion of Iraq and had recently been deployed in Afghanistan for a six month tour ending in September 2007. 63 Squadron, also the Queen's Colour SquadronQueen's Colour Squadron Overview The Queen's Colour Squadron is a unit of the RAF Regiment.... , is a Field Squadron which represents the RAF at high profile ceremonial occasions (including mounting the Queen's GuardQueen's Guard The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard are the names given to contingents of cavalry and infantry soldiers charged w... at Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch.... ), and is also responsible for guarding the Queen's Colour of the Royal Air Force. It is a fully fledged field squadron. The RAF Regiment provides training teams for all RAF stations, which are responsible for training station personnel in Force Protection and operational deployment skills. The Regiment is also responsible for the Defence CBRNCBRN CBRN is an acronym used extensively by the UK security services and the UK emergency services.... Centre at Winterborne Gunner which trains personnel from all three services and the civilian police in CBRN defence skills. It also provides CBRN specialist advice and support to other organisations. RAF Regiment personnel man most of Tactical Air Control Parties, including three in the Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade. These parties contain RAF Regiment Forward Air Controllers who are responsible for directing fire support from fast jet attack aircraft in support of ground combat forces. A flight of 40 RAF Regiment personnel forms part of the tri-service Special Forces Support GroupSpecial Forces Support Group The Special Forces Support Group is a special operations unit of the British Armed Forces.... Recent news On 12 July 2004, it was announced by Geoff HoonGeoff Hoon Geoffrey William "Geoff" Hoon is a British politician.... that the RAF Regiment will relinquish the Ground-Based Air Defence role, which will now be handed over to the Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery RGA redirects here. For the Danish political party, see Red-Green Alliance.... . Three RAF Regiment Rapier squadrons will be disbanded by 1 April 2008. The fourth squadron is to re-role to field operations: 15 SquadronNo. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... (March 2008) 16 Squadron (March 2007) 26 SquadronNo. 26 Squadron RAF Regiment Overview Formed at Yatesbury on 27 August 1951, 26 Sqn RAF Regiment has served and been based at places such as Abu Sueir, Habbaniya,... (March 2008) 37 Squadron (March 2006) However, as part of the same re-organisation, it was announced that the RAF Regiment would make up part of the new unit called the Special Forces Support GroupSpecial Forces Support Group The Special Forces Support Group is a special operations unit of the British Armed Forces.... designed to support the Special Forces. The RAF Regiment provides 40 personnel to this unit. In addition, a large number of personnel from the disbanding squadrons will be employed on other specialist tasks. The Special Forces Support GroupSpecial Forces Support Group The Special Forces Support Group is a special operations unit of the British Armed Forces.... was declared operational in April 2006. As a result of the deletions of the GB Air Defence squadrons, No 3 SquadronNo. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... and No 63 (QCS) Squadron will each receive an additional 40 personnel, in order to match their operational capabilities with the four other field squadrons, while another two Force Protection Wing HQs have been formed (No 5 FP Wing at Lossiemouth and No 6 FP Wing at Leuchars). In addition, No 1 SquadronNo. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... has moved from RAF St Mawgan to RAF HoningtonRAF Honington Summary RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station 6 miles S of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England.... , which has resulted in No 2625 Squadron, RAuxAF Regt being disbanded. In 2008, following the disbandment of the last two GBAD squadrons, it was announced that a new field squadron, to be given the numberplate of No. 15 Squadron would be formed through the amalgamation of the previous 15 Squadron and 26 Squadron to be based at RAF Honington. In addition, a further FP Wing, No 7 FP Wing HQ, was also formed at RAF Coningsby. Current RAF Regiment units Field Squadrons 1 SquadronNo. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... (based at RAF HoningtonRAF Honington Summary RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station 6 miles S of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England.... , SuffolkSuffolk Suffolk is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England.... ) II SquadronNo. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment is based at RAF Honington in Suffolk.It is a parachute-trained Field Squadron in the RAF Regimen... (Parachute) (based at RAF HoningtonRAF Honington RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station 6 miles S of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England.... , SuffolkSuffolk Suffolk is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England.... ) 3 SquadronNo. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 3 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... (based at RAF WitteringRAF Wittering RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station near Stamford, Lincolnshire.... , CambridgeshireCambridgeshire Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, ... ) 15 SquadronNo. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 15 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... (based at RAF HoningtonRAF Honington RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station 6 miles S of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England.... , SuffolkSuffolk Suffolk is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England.... ) 34 SquadronNo. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 34 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... (based at RAF LeemingRAF Leeming RAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England.... , North YorkshireNorth Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan county within the Government Office Region of Yorkshire and the Humber in northern Eng... ) 51 SquadronNo. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... (based at RAF LossiemouthRAF Lossiemouth Summary RAF Lossiemouth is a Royal Air Force station to the west of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland.It is one of the RAF... , MorayMoray Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.... ) 63 Squadron (Queen's Colour Squadron)Queen's Colour Squadron The Queen's Colour Squadron is a unit of the RAF Regiment.... (based at RAF UxbridgeRAF Uxbridge RAF Uxbridge is a Royal Air Force station in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon.... , MiddlesexMiddlesex Overview Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest.... ) CBRN Squadrons 27 SquadronNo. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment Overview No. 27 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force.... Other Units Force Protection RAF Force Protection Force Headquarters - RAF HoningtonRAF Honington RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station 6 miles S of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England.... No 1 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 2 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 3 RAF Force Protection Wing HQNo 3 Force Protection Wing RAF Number 3 Royal Air Force Force Protection Wing Headquarters is based at RAF Marham.... No 4 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 5 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 6 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ No 7 RAF Force Protection Wing HQ Combat Recovery Ground Extraction Force, E Flight, No 28 (AC) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air ForceRoyal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force is the volunteer reserve part of the Royal Air Force.... Regiment Squadrons (Ground Defence) 2620 Squadron (Ground Defence) 2622 SquadronNo. 2622 Squadron RAF Regiment 2622 Squadron, based at RAF Lossiemouth, is the northernmost RAuxAF Unit in the United Kingdom and was formed in 1979 to as... (Ground Defence) 2623 Squadron (CBRN) See also Airfield Defence GuardsAirfield Defence Guards The Airfield Defence Guards are the Royal Australian Air Force's ground security force.... Air Force Security ForcesAir Force Security Forces Air Force Security Forces formerly named Air Police, then Security Police, are the military police of the United... Objektschutzregiment der Luftwaffe Fusiliers Commandos de l'AirFusiliers Commandos de l'Air These personnel of France's Arm?e de l'Air are equivalent to the United Kingdom's RAF Regiment, Germany's Objektschutzregiment der... External links