Air Force Gallery

Churchills praise for RAF Pilots

"Never was so much owed by so many to so few" - Prime Minister Winston Churchill from a speech made on 20th August 1940, in reference to the bravery of the pilots of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of Britain, the pivotal air battle with the German Luftwaffe with Britain expecting a German invasion.
circa 1941

© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10583718

Soldiers from 3 Para Parachute from a Hercules Aircraft

Paratroopers descend to earth from a Royal Air Force Hercules aircraft during a demonstration of their skills.
Over 120 troops from A Company, 3 PARA, ( 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment) demonstrated their skills to forty NATO Defence Attaches as part of the Airborne Task Force.
The attaches watched as the Para's deployed out of two C130 Hercules aircraft flying at 800 feet above the Everleigh Dropping Zone (DZ) on Salisbury Plain. The Exercise, named EAGLES FLIGHT, included Helicopter assaults and Rapid Air Landings at South Cerney airfield.
3 PARA's main role along with 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, is to train as part of the British Army's rapid reaction force

© Crown Copyright

Royal Navy Seaking Mk4 Helicopters Over Northern Norway

Royal Navy Seaking Mk4 helicopters from 845 Naval Air Squadron conducting Arctic flying training over the snow covered mountains of northern Norway.
Situated some 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle at the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC) training facility near Bardufoss, Northern Norway, the JHC base known as Clockwork provides survival and operational training and support facilities to enable aviation capable units arms to survive, operate and fight in extreme cold weather environments.
JHC Clockwork has provided Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) with an Arctic base for over 40 years the training provided by the facility is as relevant today as it has always been. It enables CHF to prepare for future operations and is fundamental to the delivery of littoral manoeuvre for the Royal Navy given the geography and excellent facilities that exist in the local area.
150 Naval personnel from Commando Helicopter Force normally based at the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset will take part in their annual winter training exercise in Northern Norway. Aircrews, engineers and support staff from 845 Naval Air Squadron flying Royal Navy Sea King Mk4 helicopters will conduct essential Environmental Training (ET) and Pre-Deployment Training (PDT) in preparation for future deployments.
At the same time around 50 Naval personnel attached to 28 Squadron Royal Air Force from RAF Benson will also conduct Arctic flying training with the Augusta Westland Merlin Mk 3 helicopter.
This image was a winner in the 2014 RN Peregrine Trophy Competition

© Crown copyright