NO. IV SQUADRON RAF

(Redirected from No. 4 Squadron RAF)

'No. IV Squadron' of the Royal Air Force operates the Harrier GR7 from RAF Cottesmore.

Contents

History

Previous aircraft operated

See also

History

4 Squadron formed at Farnborough in 1912 as part of the Royal Flying Corps and was sent to France on the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. After flying a variety of different aircraft before and during the war, they had standardised onto the Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 by the time they returned to the United Kingdom in 1919.
Not for the last time, 4 Sqn deployed on Royal Navy aircraft carriers when they sailed to Turkey on HMS ''Ark Royal'' and ''Argus'' during the Chanak crisis in 1922. Several more aircraft types and a move from Farnborough to RAF Odiham preceded the Second World War. The squadron moved to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1939 with the Westland Lysander, with which it continued in the coastal patrol and air-sea rescue role after returning to the UK.
Changing to a reconnaissance role in 1942, firstly with the Mustang, subsequently with both the Mosquito and Spitfire aircraft, which the squadron kept until converting to jets with the Vampire in 1950. After several years operating the Vampire, Sabre and Hunter, then Squadron moved to RAF Wildenrath in Germany with the Harrier. The squadron has operated the Harrier ever since, receiving numerous upgrades and new versions over the years.

Previous aircraft operated

★ BE2C

★ RE8

★ Argus

★ FE2B

★ Armstrong-Whitworth Atlas

★ Audax

★ Lysander

★ Mustang

★ Mosquito

★ Spitfire

★ de Havilland Vampire

★ Sabre

★ Hunter

★ Harrier
The squadron is presently based at RAF Cottesmore with the GR7 version of the Harrier.

See also

★ List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons