Timeline Index 4

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November 1962		Last Mosquitoes withdrawn from service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.

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.


April 1964		1 - 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December 1964		Vickers Valiants withdrawn from service owing to fatigue problems.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		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.

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.


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
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.

















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 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.




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		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

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