#1751 1 Sqn, Typhoon FGR4 print
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1751 - ZK431, Typhoon FGR4, 1(Fighter) Squadron, RAF Lossiemouth.
No. 1 Squadron was one of the first four squadrons in the Royal Flying Corps when it formed on 13 May 1912. Its origins, however, are in No. 1 Airship Company of the Air Battalion Royal Engineers which was formed in 1878. In 1914 the Squadron was reorganised as No. 1 Aeroplane Squadron and trained on various types before moving to France in March 1915 with Avro 504s and BE 8s. During the war it re-equipped with many other aircraft, including the Nieuport 17 and 27, operating in the fighter, ground-attack and bomber escort roles over the Western Front. It returned to the UK in March 1919, moving to India in 1920 and to Iraq in 1921 for policing duties in the desert but disbanded in November 1926. It reformed at Tangmere in February 1927 equipped with Siskins, receiving Furies in 1932 and Hurricanes in October 1938. At the outbreak of WWII the Squadron moved to France with the Advanced Air Striking Force, taking part in the Battle of France before returning to the UK in May 1940. The Squadron subsequently fought in the Battle of Britain as part of 11 Group and 12 Group. It changed to an offensive role in 1941, flying fighter sweeps over France and before converting to night-fighter operations. Intruder sorties over enemy airfields early in 1942 were cut short when, in July, it converted to Typhoon IBs and flew in the fighter-bomber role on cross channel sweeps. No.1 Squadron returned to the Fighter role in April 1944, when they received Spitfire IXs which were used with some success against V1 flying bombs. Spitfire F21s were flown from May 1945 until the arrival of Meteor F3s in October 1946. These were, in turn, replaced by Meteor F4s, F8s, Hunter F5s, F6s and FGA9s and flown from Tangmere, Stradishall, Waterbeach and West Raynham. In August 1969, based at Wittering in Cambridgeshire, the Squadron converted to the Harrier, being the first unit to bring it into front-line service. No.1 Squadron demonstrated the Harrier’s abilities across the world, reinforcing Belize in 1975 and 1977 and most famously during operations from HMS HERMES in the Falklands campaign in 1982. Between 1991 and 2003, now equipped with the second-generation Harrier, the Squadron saw service in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo, and conducted missions from HMS INVINCIBLE during Operation BOLTON. In 2005, the Squadron operated from Kandahar and would continuously support Joint Force Harrier’s commitment to Operation HERRICK. The Squadron would be the last UK Harrier Squadron to fly on operations in July 2010. Due to the withdrawal from service of Harrier following a Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Squadron disbanded on 28 January 2011 at RAF Cottesmore. On 15 September 2012, 1(Fighter) Squadron reformed at RAF Leuchars as the fourth operational Typhoon FGR4 Squadron. The Typhoon FGR4 is the Royal Air Force’s first truly multi-role combat aircraft allowing 1(Fighter) Squadron to provide a plethora of contingency operation capabilities alongside the Typhoon’s permanent commitment to UK Quick Reaction Alert North, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Squadron also supports No.1435 Flight in the Falkland Islands protecting UK Territories in the South Atlantic. The Squadron was the first Typhoon unit deployed on Operation SHADER at short notice from December 2015 to April 2016 conducting Close Air Support and Air Interdiction missions throughout Iraq and Syria as part of the UK’s contribution in the campaign against Daesh. The deployment saw the first operational use of Paveway IV and strafe by Typhoon. During the summer of 2018, the Squadron deployed to Romania to undertake NATO Air Policing as part of Operation BILOXI as well as being involved in the RAF centenary flypast. Operation MASTERER saw the Squadron operate from Keflavik Airbase, Iceland, conducting NATO QRA for the first time in this location. In another first for Typhoon, 1(Fighter) Squadron was graded Above Average at NATO CAPEVAL in 2020. This was the first NATO assessment of a Royal Air Force Squadron in over 20 years. The Squadron deployed to Operation SHADER for the fourth time in January 2021, which saw the first operational use of Storm Shadow from the Typhoon. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 No.1 Squadron flew long range patrols along NATO’s Eastern border, before deploying again to Operation SHADER in September 2022 and then to Amari Air Base, Estonia in 2023 as part of Operation AZOTIZE to sit QRA duties in the Baltic.
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