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Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
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To view further details of each main Command development click on the Command title on the right of the timeline
For a summary click here
| February 1961 | MEAF re-named Near East Air Force and BFAP re-named Air Forces Middle East. | |
| March 1961 | RAF aircraft started famine relief operations in Kenya (until April) | |
| May 1961 | 1 - UK Air Defence Region formed. | |
| June 1961 | 20/21 - First non stop flight UK - Australia by a Vulcan flown by Sqn Ldr M G Beavis | |
| July 1961 | RAF aircraft assist Kuwait against Iraq. | |
| October 1961 | RAF aircraft carry out food drops in Kenya until January (Operation 'Tana Flood') | |
| November 1961 | RAF fly supplies to Belize after Hurricane
'Hattie' (Operation 'Sky Help').
Hawker Siddeley Argosy entered service. |
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| February 1962 | Folland Gnat entered service | |
| May 1962 | HQ Near East Command disbanded | |
| November 1962 | Last Mosquitoes withdrawn from service | |
| December 1962 | FEAF aircraft assist in quelling Brunei Revolt.
Blue Steel entered service. |
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| February 1963 | No 617 Sqn began equipping with the Blue Steel stand-off missile. | |
| March 1963 | 31 - No's 11 and 12 Groups re-named Sectors | |
| April 1963 | 1 - Directorate-General of Works transferred to Ministry of Public Building and Works. | |
| August 1963 | Last Thor IRBM base closed. | |
| December 1963 | Operations begin in Malaya and Borneo against Indonesian incursion. | |
| January 1964 | 15 - BMEWS at Fylingdales goes fully
operational.
Westland Wessex entered service. |
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| April 1964 | 1 - Ministry of Defence formed.
New RAF trade structure introduced. |
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| September 1964 | RAF assumed responsibility for internal security of British Guiana. | |
| October 1964 | Technician and Craft Apprenticeships introduced,
replacing Aircraft Apprenticeships and Boy Entrants.
Kestral Evaluation Squadron set up at West Raynham. |
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| December 1964 | Vickers Valiants withdrawn from service owing to fatigue problems. | |
| August 1965 | Handley Page Victors take over AAR Tanker role from Valiants. | |
| October 1965 | Hawker Siddeley Dominie entered service. | |
| December 1965 | RAF undertake operations from Zambia following Rhodesian UDI. | |
| January 1966 | 3 - RAF Technical College moved to RAF Cranwell.
Short Belfast entered service. |
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| April 1966 | 1 - Airfield Construction Branch disbanded.
BAC VC10 entered service. |
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| August 1966 | Operations in Malaya and Borneo cease. | |
| October 1966 | Technical Branch re-named Engineer Branch. | |
| November 1966 | Hawker Siddeley Andover entered service. | |
| December 1966 | RAF operations in Zambia cease. | |
| March 1967 | RAF fighters bomb the tanker Torrey Canyon aground off Cornwall. | |
| July 1967 | Lockheed Hercules entered service | |
| August 1967 | 1 - Transport Command re-named Air Support Command | |
| November 1967 | 8 - British Forces begin final withdrawal from Aden having been under RAF control for 40 years. | |
| January 1968 | Handley Page Hastings withdrawn from service as a transport. | |
| April 1968 | 1 - 50th Anniversary of RAF.
30 - Strike Command formed by merging Fighter, and Bomber Commands. |
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| June 1968 | 1 - Training Command formed by merging FTC and
TTC.
14 - Queen attends 50th Anniversary flying display at Abingdon. Avro Anson withdrawn from service |
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| August 1968 | 1 - WRAF officers adopt RAF ranks. | |
| November 1968 | 28 - Coastal Command absorbed into Strike Command as No 18 (Maritime) Group. | |
| January 1969 | Signals Command disbanded. | |
| May 1969 | 4-11 - Harrier of No 1 Sqn won the London - Ne
York air Race McDonnell Phantom entered service |
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| June 1969 | 30 - Nuclear deterrent role taken over by Royal Navy. | |
| October 1969 | Hawker Siddeley Harrier, Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer and Hawker Siddeley Nimrod entered service. | |
| April 1970 | 4 - Last RAF Dakota retired from service (until March 1993) | |
| September 1970 | Graduate entry replaced Cadet entry at RAF College, Cranwell. | |
| November 1970 | RAF took part in flood relief operations in Pakistan (Operation 'Burlap') | |
| June 1971 | Aerospatiale Puma entered service | |
| November 1971 | 31 - FEAF disbanded | |
| December 1971 | 15 - Air Forces Gulf disbanded | |
| January 1972 | Shackleton AEW Mk 2 entered service. | |
| September 1972 | Air Support Command absorbed by Strike Command. Hawker Hunter re-entered service with Strike Command. | |
| November 1972 | RAF Museum at Hendon opened. | |
| March 1973 | RAF airlift supplies to Himalayan villages in Nepal (Operation 'Khana Cascade') | |
| April 1973 | Scottish Aviation Bulldog entered service. | |
| June 1973 | Scottish Aviation Jetstream entered service. | |
| July 1973 | Aerospatiale Gazelle entered service | |
| September 1973 | Maintenance Command re-named Support Command.
Sepecat Jaguar entered service. |
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| March 1975 | Westland Wessex takes on SAR role.
RAF assist in evacuation of civilians from Cambodia |
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| June 1975 | Comet retired from service | |
| October 1975 | RAF assist in evacuation from Angola. | |
| November 1975 | RAF take over defence of Belize (formerly British Honduras) | |
| December 1975 | Bristol Britannia retired from service. | |
| March 1976 | NEAF disbanded | |
| April 1976 | 1 - RAF Gan in the Indian Ocean closed Vickers Varsity retired from service. |
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| September 1976 | Short Belfast retired from service | |
| June 1977 | RAF Support Command formed by merging Support Command and
Training Command.
Handley Page Hastings withdrawn from service |
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| July 1977 | 29 - Queen's Silver Jubilee Review at RAF Finningley. | |
| December 1977 | Westland Sea King HAR Mk 3 entered service | |
| Jan 1978 | ||
| October 1978 | Canberras of No 13 Sqn left Malta becoming the last RAF unit to be based on the island | |
| Jan 1979 | ||
| Jan 1980 | ||
This page was last updated on 17/03/25 ©
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1960
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