On This Day, 1940: On 22 July 1940, an RAF Blenheim used airborne interception radar to shoot down a Dornier Do 17…
Read the entry →Operations
Every major RAF operation from 1918 to the present day. From the first bombing missions of the Western Front to the strike campaigns of the 21st century.
Operation Black Buck
30 April–12 June 1982
partialOperation Black Buck was the RAF’s long-range bombing and anti-radar effort during the Falklands War, flown by Avro Vulcan bombers with extensive Handley Page Victor tanker support. The missions showed the reach of British air power even where their direct physical effect remained limited.
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Second World War · 7 operations
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Operation Jubilee
How the RAF supported Operation Jubilee at Dieppe and what the air battle revealed about amphibious operations in 1942.
Operation Chastise
On the night of 16–17 May 1943, 617 Squadron breached the Möhne and Eder dams using Barnes Wallis's revolutionary bouncing…
Operation Overlord
How the RAF helped shape Operation Overlord through strategic bombing, airborne delivery, air cover and sustained support in Normandy.
Operation Market Garden
How the RAF supported Operation Market Garden through transport aircraft, glider towing, fighter control and resupply in September 1944.
Cold War · 5 operations
View all 5 →Operation Grapple
How the RAF supported Operation Grapple through V-bomber delivery, cloud sampling and Pacific infrastructure during Britain’s H-bomb tests.
Operation Musketeer
How the RAF supported Operation Musketeer through transport flying, strike operations and airborne assault during the Suez Crisis.
Operation Black Buck
Operation Black Buck was the RAF’s long-range bombing and anti-radar effort during the Falklands War, flown by Avro Vulcan bombers…
Operation Plainfare
How the RAF’s Operation Plainfare helped sustain West Berlin during the Soviet blockade, flying food, coal and vital supplies into…
Modern RAF · 4 operations
View all 4 →Operation Telic
How the RAF supported Operation Telic through strike aircraft, reconnaissance, tankers and transport in Iraq from 2003 onward.
Operation Granby
How Operation Granby saw the RAF fight in the 1991 Gulf War, from Tornado strike missions to the wider lessons…
Operation Allied Force
How the RAF contributed to Operation Allied Force through strike aircraft, tanker support and coalition air operations over Yugoslavia in…
Operation Herrick
How the RAF supported Operation Herrick through Harrier, Tornado, Reaper and wider air operations in Afghanistan.