The RAF
Probably the most famous air force featured on jetscene.co.uk is the RAF; it has been defending the UK’s skies for nearly 100 years. It was established towards the end of WWI and saw active combat in WWII, as well as later wars in the Middle East and Europe.
The British were not the first country to engage in air combat, but they were the first nation to establish an independent air force. Outside the two world wars, the RAF has spent much of its existence as a global policeman. It helped manage conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq between the world wars, as well as help to establish the state of Israel, in 1948.
During the Cold War period, the RAF saw action in some small-scale conflicts around the world, but had the main job of protecting the UK’s nuclear arsenal. In the 1980s and 1990s, the air force had large roles to play in the Falklands War against Argentina, as well as NATO operations in the Gulf and the former Yugoslavia.
In the early part of this millennium, the Royal Air Force assisted the US in the invasion of Iraq, in 2003, as well as operations against the Taliban, in Afghanistan. Although Royal Air Force operations in Iraq have now ended, it continues to offer assistance in Afghanistan to the present day.
More information about the RAF, and the types of aircraft it uses, is listed on jetscene.co.uk. The number of airmen employed in regular service has dropped from around one million, during WWII, to just over 40,000 in the present day. However, it remains a vital part of the UK’s defence and continues to offer assistance in military operations across the globe.
