MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (PN_036_2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service.
16 February 2009
Royal Navy
aviators and veterans, including Jock Moffat, the Swordfish pilot
whose torpedo crippled the Bismark in World War Two, gathered
today at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London to launch the
One Hundredth Anniversary of Naval Aviation. The centenary year
will be marked by a panoply of colourful events and activities
throughout the UK.
The anniversary marks the Admiralty's far-sighted and
visionary decision on 7 May 1909 to order the first airship, HMS
Airship 1, and embark on a development programme for military
aviation. Consequently, when, five years later, World War One
broke out, the Royal Navy was not only prepared but in the
vanguard. It was the Royal Navy who carried out the first
strategic bombing from the air, the first air to air kill, the
first sinking of a ship using a torpedo from the air and the first
use of aircraft in a sea battle. The Fleet Air Arm, as these brave
pioneers became known, went on to perform with valour and
distinction including actions such as the Taranto Raid, the
Channel Dash, involvement in the sinking of the Bismarck and more
recently the Falklands Conflict, Gulf Wars and Afghanistan. The
Fleet Air Arm has won 4 VCs during its history, the first being
awarded to Lt Warneford in 1915 for downing a German Airship.
The focus of the anniversary is about acknowledging the direct
and valuable contribution being made by the Royal Navy and Fleet
Air Arm to UK Defence commitments worldwide. The vital role of the
Fleet Air Arm today was acknowledged by the First Sea Lord,
Admiral Sir Jonathon Band who said:
"The Harrier Jets of the Naval Strike Wing have just
returned from Afghanistan where they were providing vital close
air support to our troops, including the Royal Marines of 3
Commando Brigade. Sea King and Lynx helicopters from three Naval
Air Squadrons are also out there, having moved across from
operations in Iraq where they had been since day one of the war.
Eighty per cent of our front-line squadrons are deployed on
operations around the world demonstrating the flexibility,
adaptability and professionalism that has become the hallmark of
the Fleet Air Arm."
Looking to the future, Sir Jonathon said:
"We face an increasingly unstable world, and at the very
heart of our national defence policy lies the requirement to
respond to threats to our national security by dealing with them
where and when they occur. This need for expeditionary capability
is at the very core of what the Royal Navy is all about and the
Fleet Air Arm is now, and will continue to be, a key element".
"The two new aircraft carriers, the largest and most potent
warships ever procured for the UK, herald an exciting future for
Defence. Their requirement is testimony to the enduring capability
of carrier aviation. Each carrier offers the UK 4 acres of mobile
sovereign air base able to provide airpower worldwide for all
types of operations from conflict to humanitarian evacuation,
vital when access, basing options and over flight cannot be
assured. It is particularly fitting that the first cutting of
steel for HMS Queen Elizabeth will be taking place during the
Centenary year of Naval aviation."
Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies MP, said:
"The Fleet Air Arm has made and continues to make a
tremendous contribution to defence and I look forward to
witnessing further achievements in this their hundredth year. We
are opening a new chapter in this venture with the new aircraft
carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince Of Wales. Together
with their embarked squadrons of Joint Combat Aircraft, the
carriers will represent a formidable force for deterrence or if
necessary for intervention wherever and whenever necessary around
the globe".
The highlight of the anniversary events will be on 7 May 09 at
Greenwich, London with a fly past of historic and current Fleet
Air Arm aircraft over the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. A
service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral on 8 May 2009
will formally recognise and pay tribute to the sacrifices made
during the history of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Fleet
Air Arm. In October, HMS Illustrious will visit the port of
Liverpool, where another flypast will take place and in November
the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal
Albert Hall will carry 100 years of Naval aviation as its theme.
Ceremonial aside, this year the Fleet Air Arm will continue its
active involvement in frontline operations in Afghanistan and the
Middle East as well as participating in a major multinational
military exercise, as part of the TAURUS 09 Amphibious Task Group deployment.
The Fleet Air Arm is an integral part of the Royal Navy operating
over 200 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters which make up over a
third of the UK's military aviation capability. At a high
state of readiness, Royal Navy fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters
give the Navy the ability to respond quickly and with flexibility
to protect UK interests, regardless of access, basing or
over-flight limitations, almost anywhere in the world. Closer to
home, Search and Rescue helicopters based in UK respond to calls
24/7, 365 days of the year - in 2008 alone, they responded to over
500 callouts and assisted in the rescue of over 500 people.
Historic connections with the Navy's air arm were
represented at the press conference by veterans from previous
conflicts where the Fleet Air Arm had proved decisive.
'Jock' Moffat, the Swordfish pilot whose torpedo
crippled the Bismarck in World War Two and Dave Morgan, the
Harrier pilot from the Falklands War, were among the pilots
present who had served with distinction.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. For further information regarding this press release or
queries regarding Fly Navy 100, please contact Lieutenant Carolyn
Jones on 01935 456530
2. Associated imagery is available on the Defence News Imagery
Data Base, http://www.defencenewsimagery.mod.uk
3. Further images, information and video footage of the Fleet Air
Arm are available at http://www.rn.mod.uk.
4. A full list of events planned for the Centenary Year can be
found at: http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/flynavy100.
For Further Information Contact:
Background information.
100 years of Naval aviation is an important Centenary for the
Royal Navy. It marks the introduction, 100 years ago, of a hugely
transformational capability, Expeditionary Air Power that could be
delivered from the sea.
On 7 May 1909, the Admiralty made a momentous decision to order
the first airship, HMS Airship 1. Aviation was in its infancy, but
the airship offered range, sustainability, pay load and
critically, the military advantage of being able to rise above a
ship and to see over the horizon.
Fleet Air aircraft roles include airborne surveillance and
control, anti-submarine warfare, disaster relief, counter
narcotics operations, maritime interdiction operations, crisis
response operations, humanitarian aid, amphibious operations, SF
operations, transporting land troops and equipment around the
battle field, monitoring and intelligence gathering and search and rescue.
The inherent strength of Royal Navy aircraft is that they provide
enormous versatility. They are flexible, adaptable, and are able
to fulfil a versatile range of roles. They extend the eyes, ears,
reach and power projection of maritime forces and politically
their very presence can turn even a single aircraft into a
critical component of the Navy's military capability.
Naval aircraft fulfil a vital role in helping to safeguard the
freedom of the seas and economic lifelines. Surveillance and
deterrence and maintaining a constant and visible reminder of the
solidarity and cohesion of international efforts to counter
terrorism, providing a deterrent to the use of the sea for illegal
purposes and preventing any potential disruption to the flow of
vital resources are high priorities for the Royal Navy and Fleet
Air Arm.
Naval aviation is an enduring capability that is just as
progressive today as it was nearly a Century ago. One of the
successes of Naval aviation is its adaptability and ingenuity.
There have been many innovative new technologies, the mirror
landing site, the angled flight deck, armoured decks, the steam
catapult, the ski-jump, the revolutionary vertical take off
Harrier jump jet. As a small Service the Fleet Air Arm is able to
adapt its processes, procedures and capabilities continually to
meet new strategic challenges and deliver combat-winning capability.
The Fleet Air Arm has been at the forefront of operations around
the world almost continuously since the First World War. Over 80%
of the Fleet Air Arm's front-line Squadrons are currently
deployed on operations worldwide. The Naval Strike Wing of Joint
Force Harrier recently returned from Afghanistan having carried
out over 1,500 operational missions providing close air support to
coalition forces on the ground.