On This Day, 1999: On 5 June 1999 RAF Tornados flew their first combat missions from Solenzara in Corsica during Operation Allied…
Read the entry →Cold War Articles
In-depth articles, analysis and long reads from The RAF Chronicle.
RAF Transport Command and the Rise of Global Air Mobility
Cold War
How RAF Transport Command grew from wartime airlift into a global force supporting overseas operations, reinforcement and post-war British defence.
Read the article →How Technology Changed RAF Aircraft Design and Capability
A deep RAF Chronicle Long Read on how airframes, engines, fuel systems, avionics and crew protection reshaped RAF…
Operation Bibber Sends RAF Hunters to Thailand in 1962
On 25 May 1962, RAF Hunter aircraft deployed to Thailand under a SEATO task force in Operation Bibber,…
RAF Aircraft Safety Systems and Crew Protection in Service
How RAF aircraft safety systems improved crew survival through restraint, oxygen, warning, fire protection and ejection-seat design.
RAF Nimrods Begin Second Cod War Surveillance Patrols
On this day in 1973, RAF Nimrods began surveillance patrols during the Second Cod War, monitoring Icelandic gunboats…
RAF Aircraft Navigation, Instruments and Avionics in Service
How RAF instruments, radio aids, radar and avionics allowed aircraft to navigate, fight and recover in poor weather…
28 Squadron Deploys Spitfires to Strengthen Hong Kong
On this day in 1949, 28 Squadron deployed Spitfires from Malaya to Hong Kong to strengthen the colony’s…
Red Arrows Perform Their First Official Display
On 6 May 1965, the Red Arrows gave their first official display at RAF Little Rissington, launching the…
2TAF Canberra Units Gain a Tactical Nuclear Role in NATO
On this day, RAF Canberra units in Germany gained an atomic strike role, placing 2TAF on the nuclear…
RAF Aircraft Engines, Cooling and Propulsion in Service
How RAF propulsion evolved from piston engines to jets, with cooling, reliability and engine design shaping performance and…
The RAF in the Berlin Airlift and the Cold War Airlift
How the RAF helped sustain West Berlin during the Berlin Airlift, turning transport aviation into a strategic tool…
RAF Vulcans Deploy to Ascension Island
The arrival of RAF Vulcans at Ascension in 1982 set the stage for the long-range bomber operations of…
RAF Strategic Air Command Cooperation in the Cold War
How RAF cooperation with Strategic Air Command shaped basing, alliance planning and Anglo-American deterrence in the Cold War.