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At the end of the Cold War in 1989 the Royal Air Force structure was as follows:

The Chief of the Air Staff was an Air Chief Marshal, who commanded the Royal Air Force. He was a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Defence Council, and the Air Force Board, which administered the Royal Air Force. The following positions were part of the Air Force Board:[1]

The strength of the Royal Air Force in 1989 was 93,300 men.[2]

RAF Strike Command[]

RAF Strike Command commanded all operational Royal Air Force units in the United Kingdom. Its Commander-in-Chief was an Air Chief Marshal, who doubled as NATO, Commander-in-Chief United Kingdom Air Forces (CINCUKAIR), which was a major subordinate command under NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe.[3][4] In 1989 RAF Strike Command consisted of three major operational commands, a few minor units, and had administrative control of the Royal Observer Corps, which was tasked with nuclear warfare analysis and manned the UK's nuclear fallout warning service.[2][5][6][7][8]

No. 1 Group[]

Panavia Tornado GR1, UK - Air Force AN1677504

A Tornado GR.1A of No. 13 Squadron RAF.

Harrier GR3 (20579671948)

A Harrier GR.3 of No. 233 Operational Conversion Unit RAF.

No. 1 Group was commanded by a Air Vice-Marshal based at RAF Upavon. The group contained varied aircraft, with the majority being strike aircraft. The group's main focus would have been bombing raids on advancing Soviet ground forces in Northern Germany as directed by NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The group fielded six squadrons, which could be armed with WE.177 tactical nuclear weapons, and tanker aircraft to ensure that it could deliver nuclear strikes deep inside enemy territory.[2][8]

Note 1: Unit had a nuclear strike role with WE.177 tactical nuclear weapons.[14]

No. 1 Group also administered the flying units detached to Belize and the Falklands:

No. 11 (Air Defence) Group[]

TornadoGR1 27Sqn RAF Mildenhall 1988

No. 27 Squadron RAF Tornado GR.1.

No. 11 (Air Defence) Group was commanded by a Air Vice-Marshal based at RAF Bentley Priory. The group was to defend the United Kingdom against all aerial threats and fielded exclusively fighter aircraft and one air defence missile squadron. In 1989 the Royal Air Force was speedily replacing its aging Phantom fighters with the more modern and more capable Tornado F3, whose superior supersonic acceleration, powerful radar and beyond-visual-range missiles made it the ideal platform to intercept and destroy Soviet bombers attacking the UK. In case of war, No. 11 (Air Defence) Group would have taken command of the five UK-based Hawk T.1 training squadrons, which, armed with AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles would have become the last line of defense against Soviet air attacks.[2][16][17]

No. 18 (Maritime) Group[]

Sepecat Jaguar GR1A, Royal Air Force AN2068577

A Jaguar GR.1A of No. 226 Operational Conversion Unit RAF.

No. 18 (Maritime) Group was commanded by an Air Marshal based at the Northwood Headquarters. During war the Commander of No. 18 Group would also assume the titles of Commander Maritime Air Eastern Atlantic (COMAIREASTLANT) and Commander Allied Maritime Air Force Channel (COMAIRCHAN). In case of war No. 18 Group's Maritime Air Region North would have assumed the titles of NATO Commander Maritime Air Northern Sub-Area (COMMAIRNORLANT) and NATO Commander Maritime Air Nore Sub-Area Channel (COMAIRNORECHAN) and taken command of Norwegian Air Force and US Navy P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft at Andøya Air Station and Naval Air Station Keflavik respectively, as well as the Keflavik-based US Air Force F-15C/D Eagles to prevent vessels of the Soviet Navy's Northern Fleet from passing through the GIUK gap.[2][8][11][19]

Note 1: Unit had a nuclear strike role with WE.177 tactical nuclear weapons.[14]

Royal Observer Corps[]

The Royal Observer Corps (ROC) was commanded by the Commandant Royal Observer Corps with the rank of Air Commodore and had its headquarter at RAF Bentley Priory. The corps was tasked with detecting and reporting nuclear explosions and associated fall-out as the field force for the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation, (UKWMO). By the late 1980s the ROC comprised 69 professional full-time officers, approximately 10,500 civilian spare-time volunteers, and over 100 Ministry of Defence (MoD) civilian support staff.

RAF Germany[]

RAF Phantom (13044297915)

A Phantom FGR Mk 2 of No. 92 Squadron landing at RAF Wildenrath in the mid-1980s

Royal Air Force Germany air bases in 1989 (all located in North Rhine-Westphalia)
Steel pog RAF Germany HQ Blue 0080ff pog Tornado GR.1
Blue pog Harrier GR.5 Blue 00ffff pog Phantom FGR.2

Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG) consisted of air force units located in Germany as part of the UK's commitment to the defence of Western Europe during the Cold War. In wartime the Air Marshal in command of RAFG would also have assumed the command of NATO's Second Allied Tactical Air Force. RAFG's main missions were to protect the British Army of the Rhine from Warsaw Pact air attacks and bomb hostile armor formation. In case Soviet spearheads would have breached the Weser-line on the Western side of the Upper Weser Valley the RAFG was trained and equipped to attack enemy troop concentrations to the East of the Weser with tactical nuclear weapons.[25][26]

To fulfill its mission RAFG had a varied mix of aircraft under its command: Phantom FGR.2 fighters, Tornado GR.1 fighter-bombers, helicopters, and Harrier GR.5 vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft. As the most forward deployed units the Harriers would have dispersed to auxiliary airfields and highway strips during the transition to war to protect them from Soviet air attacks. The Army's 38th Engineer Regiment and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment's No. 2624 (County of Oxford) Field Squadron would have supported the Harrier Force at these airfields.

Note 1: Unit with nuclear strike role with 18x WE.177 tactical nuclear weapons.[14]

RAF Support Command[]

British Aerospace Hawk T1, UK - Air Force AN2173331

A Hawk T.1 of the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine landing at RAF Farnborough.

RAF Support Command was commanded by an Air Marshal based at RAF Brampton. During war the command would have moved to its Emergency War Headquarter in a bunker at RAF Holmpton. Support Command had been created in 1973 by merging RAF Maintenance Command,[33] with No. 90 (Signals) Group. In 1977 Support Command 1977 absorbed Training Command making it additionally responsible for all RAF ground and aircrew training.

In 1989 RAF Support Command was responsible for all signals under, logistics, maintenance (Air Officer Commanding Maintenance Units and Air Officer Maintenance, RAF Support Command), personnel management, ground transport, supply, basic flying training, ground crew training (Air Officer Commanding Training Units and Air Officer Training, RAF Support Command), ordnance, recruitment, medical services, air base services, IT systems. etc. Air Officer Commanding were Air Vice-Marshals. Below follows a provisional, unverified, partial listing of this large organisation.

AOC Training Units and AO Training[]

The Air Officer Commanding Training Units and Air Officer Training was an Air Vice-Marshal responsible for all training establishments of the RAF. The AOC Training Units and AO Training administered the following training establishments and units:

AOC Air Cadets & Commandant Air Training Corps[]

AOC Signals Units and AO Signals[]

The Air Officer Commanding Signals Units and Air Officer Signals was an Air Vice-Marshal responsible for all signals units of the RAF. Besides Royal Signals Air Support Signals Units at operational RAF bases and stations, the AOC Signals Units and AO Signals administered the following units.

  • Air Officer Commanding Signals Units and Air Officer Signals[9]
    • RAF Bampton Castle, (High frequency radio communications)
      • No. 2 Signals Unit
      • No. 81 Signals Unit
    • RAF Boddington, (Computerised relay communications)
      • No. 9 Signals Unit
    • RAF Digby, (Communications security)
      • No. 399 Signals Unit
      • No. 591 Signals Unit
    • RAF Gibraltar
      • No. 291 Signals Unit
    • RAF Henlow
      • HQ RAF Support Command Signals Staff
      • RAF Signals Engineering Establishment
      • Radio Engineering Unit
      • Exhibition Production Flight
    • RAF Lindholme, (Automatic routing)
      • No. 840 Signals Unit
    • RAF Rudloe Manor
      • HQ Fixed Telecommunications System
      • Controller Defence Communication Network
      • No. 6 Signals Unit
    • RAF Spadeadam, (Electronic warfare training)
      • No. 721 Signals Unit
    • RAF Wattisham
      • No. 144 Signals Unit
    • RAF Woolwich
      • Special Signals Unit

Additional specialized signals units were detached to Royal Air Force Germany, British Sector Berlin, British Forces Gibraltar, British Forces Falkland Islands and British Forces Cyprus.

AOC Maintenance Units and AO Maintenance[]

AO Administration and AO Directly Administered Units[]

RAF Regiment[]

The RAF Regiment was headed by the Commandant-General, RAF Regiment and Director-General of Security with the rank of Air Vice-Marshal,[38][39] who was responsible for security at all RAF installations. The RAF Regiment served as the Royal Air Force's airfield defence corps. The regiment administered, trained and maintained its squadron, which operationally were under the commanders of the airfields they were assigned to. There were four types of squadron: Field (Light Infantry) and Light Armour squadrons as airfield ground defence forces, Air Defence squadrons, and one Light Armour / Paratroopers Squadron to seize and secure enemy airfields. The regiment fielded 16 squadrons and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment (RAuxAF) fielded eight reserve squadrons. The Regiment also provided the RAF Fire Service sections at all RAF airfields and trained firefighters and rescue personnel at its main base RAF Catterick.

The list below only lists squadrons that were under command of the regiment in 1989; the squadrons assigned to other units are listed under the airfields where they were based.

Royal Auxiliary Air Force[]

The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) was commanded by an Air Vice-Marshal and provided reinforcements to the Royal Air Force, which were manned by civilians and called upon in times of need or war. Although all RAuxAF units had been disbanded in 1957 it lived on in three Maritime Headquarter Units, which provided ground and air crews for the Nimrod MR.2s of No. 18 (Maritime) Group. In 1979 the RAuxAF returned to life with the formation of three Field Squadrons to provide ground airfield defence at Royal Air Force airfields. During the 1980s additional squadrons and flights were raised and by 1989 the RAuxAF fielded three Maritime Headquarter Units, two administrative wings, seven RAuxAF Regiment squadrons, two support squadrons and three airfield defence flights.[41]

Note: The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force was a part of the Hong Kong Defence Force.

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve[]

The RAF Volunteer Reserve was a volunteer organization providing the RAF with specialists for a limited number of positions.[41]

RAF Provost & Security Services[]

The RAF Provost Marshal of the RAF Provost & Security Services had the rank of Air Commodore and was based in the Metropole building in Whitehall. At each RAF base and station a RAF Police flight was tasked with guarding and securing the base or station. The flights were administered by the following higher commands:[44][45]

Women's Royal Air Force[]

The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force, which provided the RAF with trained female personnel.[46][47]

Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service[]

The Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) was the nursing branch of the Royal Air Force. The service staffed the RAF Hospital Akrotiri, RAF Hospital Ely, RAF Hospital Halton, RAF Hospital Uxbridge, RAF Hospital Wegberg and RAF Hospital Wroughton.[48][49]

Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch[]

The Royal Air Force Chaplains Branch provided military chaplains for the Royal Air Force. Chaplains and candidates were trained at the Royal Air Force Chaplains' School at Amport House.[50][51]

RAF Legal Branch[]

The RAF Legal Branch (RAFLB) was the uniformed legal service provider for the Royal Air Force. It consisted of solicitors and barristers qualified in a Commonwealth jurisdiction.[52][53]

RAF Medical Services[]

The RAF Medical Services provided health care at home and on deployed operations to RAF personnel. Medical officers were the doctors of the RAF and had specialist expertise in aviation medicine to support aircrew and their protective equipment.

See also[]

References[]

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External links[]

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