Royal Air Force - Overseas Deployments

Overseas Deployments

Country Dates Deployment Details
Gibraltar 1940s– RAF Gibraltar No permanently stationed aircraft. RAF aircraft (e.g., Hercules transports) make regular visits.
Canada 1940s– RAF Unit Goose Bay, Canada RAF aircraft train in low-level tactical flying at CFB Goose Bay, a NATO air force base of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Cyprus/Malta 1940– RAF Akrotiri
RAF Nicosia
RAF Luqa		 Operation Musketeer also known as the Suez crisis involved RAF aircraft based on Malta and Cyprus. Although no RAF bases remain on Malta, RAF aircraft continue to be stationed at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus.
Norway 1960s– Bardufoss Air Station RAF fighter and/or helicopter squadrons undergo winter-training here most years.
Ascension Island 1982– RAF Ascension Island Used as an air bridge between the UK and the Falkland Islands. United States Air Force personnel also stationed at this base.
Falkland Islands 1982– RAF Stanley
RAF Mount Pleasant		 After initial use of the Airport at Stanley, the airbase/airport at Mount Pleasant was built to allow a fighter and transport facility on the islands, and to strengthen the defence capacity of BFFI (British Forces Falkland Islands). BFFI now replaced by BFSAI (British Forces South Atlantic Islands).
Bosnia 1995– Various helicopters RAF enforced no-fly zones over the Balkans in the late 1990s and participated in the NATO interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo. RAF helicopters until recently remained to provide support to the United Nations.
Afghanistan 2001– Operation Veritas
Operation Herrick		 Chinooks provided airlift support to coalition forces. Additionally Merlin helicopters began tasking in late 2009 following the end of Operation Telic (Iraq). Since late 2004 six BAe Harriers provided reconnaissance and close air support to the ISAF. The Harriers were replaced by an equivalent force of Tornado GR4 in mid 2009. In August 2010, the Tornado force was uplifted to 10 aircraft. Other support units are deployed to Muscat International Airport in Oman, and air bases in the UAE and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Iraq 2003- Operation Telic
Operation Kipion
 During the initial invasion, British strike fighters were used. Support aircraft such as the Hercules C130, Puma helicopter and Merlin helicopter stayed in Iraq till the withdrawal in 2009. The Merlin helicopters where the last RAF aircraft to leave Iraq.
Kenya 2008– Kenya Air Force Laikipia Air Base Semi permanent detachment involving helicopters giving support to the British Army
United States 2009– Creech AFB, Nevada Operation of MQ-9 Reaper UAVs by No. 39 Squadron RAF.
Libya 2011– Operation Ellamy Enforcement of no fly zone in Libya according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

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