Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation

 

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RAF Timeline 1961 - 1980


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.
 
 
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November 1962   Last Mosquitoes withdrawn from service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.
 
 
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.
 
 
April 1964   Ministry of Defence formed.  New RAF trade structure introduced.
 
 
 
 
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.
 
December 1964   Vickers Valiants withdrawn from service owing to fatigue problems.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.
 
 
April 1966   1 - Airfield Construction Branch disbanded.  BAC VC10 entered service.
 
 
 
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   British Forces make 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.  31 - Strike Command formed by merging Fighter, and Bomber Commands.
 
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
 
August 1968   1 - WRAF officers adopt RAF ranks.
 
 
 
 
January 1969   Signals Command disbanded.
 
 
 
May 1969   McDonnell Phantom entered service
 
July 1969   Nuclear deterrent role taken over by Royal Navy.
 
 
October 1969   Hawker Siddeley Harrier, Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer and Hawker Siddeley Nimrod entered service.
November 1969   Coastal Command absorbed into Strike Command.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
September 1970   Graduate entry replaced Cadet entry at RAF College, Cranwell.
 
November 1970   RAF took part in flood relief operations in Pakistan (Operation Burlap)
 
January 1971   Aerospatiale Puma entered service
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
November 1971   FEAF disbanded
December  1971   RAF complete withdrawal from Arabian Gulf.
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.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
March 1975   Westland Wessex takes on SAR role.  RAF assist in evacuation of civilians from Cambodia
 
 
June 1975   Comet retired from service
 
 
 
October 1975   RAF assist in evacuation from Angola.
November 1975   RAF take over defend of Belize (formerly British Honduras)
December 1975   Bristol Britannia retired from service.
 
 
March 1976   NEAF disbanded
April 1976   Vickers Varsity retired from service.
 
 
 
 
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
July 1977   Queen's Silver Jubilee Review at RAF Finningley.
 
 
 
 
December 1977   Westland Sea King HAR Mk 3 entered service
Jan 1978  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jan 1979  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jan 1980  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This page was last updated on 11/06/07 using FrontPage XP© 

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