No. 1312 Flight RAF
Encyclopedia
No. 1312 Flight is an independent flight
of the Royal Air Force
, supporting at present the defence of the Falkland Islands
.
While the UK
officially does not foresee any threat to the Falkland Islands
, it maintains significant military forces as a deterrent against any aggressor. These forces also protect South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
. The Royal Air Force contribution to this deterrent is based at RAF Mount Pleasant
, the primary component of which is No. 1435 Flight
, with its four Eurofighter Typhoon
s providing air defence.
1312 Flight operates in support of this force providing aerial refuelling, air transport, search and rescue
and maritime patrol
. The latter is an important mission to the Falkland Islands government as the Hercules verifies that all fishing vessels are licensed; at £1,000 per licence per season this is an important source of income.
. It operated 6 Avro Anson
s to collect and deliver aircrew involved in the ferrying replacement aircraft. After June 1944 it was involved in transporting wounded serviceman back to England from France until it was disbanded on 21 July 1944.
The flight was re-formed on 14 September 1954, at RAF Abingdon, as 1312 (Transport Support) Flight operating the Handley Page Hastings
and later the Vickers Valetta
, disbanding on 1 April 1957.
1312 (In-Flight Refuelling) Flight re-formed again on the 20 August 1983 at RAF Stanley
before moving to the newly opened RAF Mount Pleasant
in 1986. The original task was to operate the Lockheed Hercules on air-to-air refueling missions, but these were later replaced by VC10
s (borrowed from 101 Squadron
) and Hercules C.1s from the Lyneham Wing
.
Flight (military unit)
A flight is a military unit in an air force, naval air service, or army air corps. It usually comprises three to six aircraft, with their aircrews and ground staff; or, in the case of a non-flying ground flight, no aircraft and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel. In most usages,...
of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, supporting at present the defence of the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
While the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officially does not foresee any threat to the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, it maintains significant military forces as a deterrent against any aggressor. These forces also protect South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote and inhospitable collection of islands, consisting of South Georgia and a chain of smaller islands, known as the South Sandwich...
. The Royal Air Force contribution to this deterrent is based at RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands...
, the primary component of which is No. 1435 Flight
No. 1435 Flight RAF
No. 1435 Flight is a Eurofighter Typhoon unit of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Mount Pleasant, providing air defence for the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.During the Second World War, No...
, with its four Eurofighter Typhoon
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
s providing air defence.
1312 Flight operates in support of this force providing aerial refuelling, air transport, search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
and maritime patrol
Maritime patrol
Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities....
. The latter is an important mission to the Falkland Islands government as the Hercules verifies that all fishing vessels are licensed; at £1,000 per licence per season this is an important source of income.
History
1312 (Transport) Flight was first formed on 19 April 1944 at RAF LlandowRAF Llandow
RAF Llandow was a Royal Air Force airfield situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, 15 miles west of Cardiff. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1957....
. It operated 6 Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
s to collect and deliver aircrew involved in the ferrying replacement aircraft. After June 1944 it was involved in transporting wounded serviceman back to England from France until it was disbanded on 21 July 1944.
The flight was re-formed on 14 September 1954, at RAF Abingdon, as 1312 (Transport Support) Flight operating the Handley Page Hastings
Handley Page Hastings
The Handley Page H.P.67 Hastings was a British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and built by Handley Page Aircraft Company for the Royal Air Force...
and later the Vickers Valetta
Vickers Valetta
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1....
, disbanding on 1 April 1957.
1312 (In-Flight Refuelling) Flight re-formed again on the 20 August 1983 at RAF Stanley
Port Stanley Airport
Port Stanley Airport is a STOLport in the Falkland Islands, two miles outside the capital, Stanley. The airport is the only civilian airport in the islands with a paved runway...
before moving to the newly opened RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant
RAF Mount Pleasant is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands...
in 1986. The original task was to operate the Lockheed Hercules on air-to-air refueling missions, but these were later replaced by VC10
Vickers VC10
The Vickers VC10 is a long-range British airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, and first flown in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance routes with a high subsonic speed and also be capable of hot and high operations from African airports...
s (borrowed from 101 Squadron
No. 101 Squadron RAF
No. 101 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Vickers VC10 C1K, K3 and K4 from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. Since 10 Squadron disbanded in 2005, the squadron is the only operator of the VC10.-Formation and early years:...
) and Hercules C.1s from the Lyneham Wing
RAF Lyneham
RAF Lyneham is a Royal Air Force station in Wiltshire, England. It was the home of all the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force before they were relocated to RAF Brize Norton.The station was also home to No...
.
Aircraft operated
| From | To | Aircraft | Version | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 April 1944 | 21 July 1944 | Avro Anson Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was... |
Mk.I Mk.X |
NK692 NK696 |
| 14 September 1954 | 1 April 1957 | Handley Page Hastings Handley Page Hastings The Handley Page H.P.67 Hastings was a British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and built by Handley Page Aircraft Company for the Royal Air Force... |
C.1 C.2 |
TG615 'L' WD485 |
| February 1955 | 1 April 1957 | Vickers Valetta Vickers Valetta |-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.... |
C.1 | WD158; VL274 |
| 20 August 1983 | 31 March 1996 | Lockheed Hercules | C.1K | XV201 |
| 31 March 1996 | present | Vickers VC10 Vickers VC10 The Vickers VC10 is a long-range British airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, and first flown in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance routes with a high subsonic speed and also be capable of hot and high operations from African airports... Lockheed Hercules |
K.4 C.1 |
ZD242 'P' .. |
Flight bases
| From | To | Base |
|---|---|---|
| 19 April 1944 | 21 July 1944 | RAF Llandow RAF Llandow RAF Llandow was a Royal Air Force airfield situated near the village of Llandow, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, 15 miles west of Cardiff. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1957.... , Glamorgan Glamorgan Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three... , Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
| 14 September 1954 | 1 April 1957 | RAF Abingdon RAF Abingdon RAF Abingdon was a Royal Air Force station near Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It is now known as Dalton Barracks and is used by the Royal Logistic Corps.... , Oxfordshire Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire .... |
| 20 August 1983 | 1986 | RAF Stanley Port Stanley Airport Port Stanley Airport is a STOLport in the Falkland Islands, two miles outside the capital, Stanley. The airport is the only civilian airport in the islands with a paved runway... , Falkland Islands Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland... |
| 1986 | present | RAF Mount Pleasant RAF Mount Pleasant RAF Mount Pleasant is a military base for the Royal Air Force in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The facility is part of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands... , Falkland Islands |
See also
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
- List of Royal Air Force independent flights
- Military of the Falkland IslandsMilitary of the Falkland IslandsThe Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and, as such, rely on the UK for guarantee of their security. The other UK territories in the South Atlantic, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, fall under the protection of the British forces on the Falklands ,...