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The RAF's fleet of combat aircraft is so small it would be wiped out if Britain went to war against Vladimir Putin, according to a parliamentary report.There are so few Typhoon jets and F-35s that the fleet could not withstand the 'levels of attrition' that would occur.The UK has just 169 frontline jets to Russia's 1,500 and, after repeated post-Cold War cutbacks, our fleet is also smaller than that of our European allies.

Eighty years ago, on May 16-17, 1943, an elite group of airmen, mostly from the Royal Air Force, but also with contingents from Canada and Australia, took off in nineteen Lancaster bombers from the RAF station in Scampton, Lincolnshire. Their mission was clear: Destroy three dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley, thus taking out the hydroelectric power and the water supply to Germany’s industrial heartland, largely negating its value as a manufacturing center for the war effort. Recognizing their importance, the Germans had heavily fortified the dams, installing impenetrable torpedo nets below the waterlines to guard against an underwater attack, and...

Aviation fans gathered to see a World War Two Lancaster bomber fly over England as a memorial flight tours the country on the 80th anniversary of the 617 Squadron's legendary raids. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is commemorating the Operation Chastise attack on the Nazi Germany reservoirs which took place on the night of May 16, 1943. The 617 Squadron carried out the raid which involved 133 aircrew and 19 Lancaster Bomber aircraft unleashing bouncing bombs to deal a major blow to Adolf Hitler. Large crowds were seen standing with cameras as they prepared to witness the Lancaster bomber...

Nigel Farage has voiced his strong opposition to plans that would see the home of the Dambusters turned into a migrant camp. RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire was confirmed earlier this month to be considered as an asylum centre by the Home Office. The airfield was used as the headquarters for the famous World War Two Dambusters squadron. Speaking on GB News, Nigel Farage said the plan would be an act of “cultural desecration”. “Scampton was a very, very important place. This has been for many years the home of the Red Arrows,” he said. “As many of you know, we...

Britain's air force chief says it was "unacceptable" its former pilots were being recruited to train Chinese military, and intelligence agencies in Australia and Britain had shared information to warn pilots against working for Beijing. In October Britain said it would change the law to make it an offence for a former military pilot to continue training a foreign military after being warned by British intelligence agencies to stop. The Royal Air Force's Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston told the ABC in an interview at the Avalon Air Show in Australia the warnings were about China.

George Leonard “Johnny” Johnson was the last surviving original member of the famous “Dambusters” raid of 1943The last surviving Dambuster has died at the age of 101. George Leonard “Johnny” Johnson was the last surviving original member of RAF 617 Squadron’s famous “Dambusters” raid of 1943. He died peacefully at his care home in Westbury on Trym, Bristol, on Wednesday night surrounded by his family, a source told PA. He was a bomb aimer during Operation Chastise, which was tasked with attacking German dams during the Second World War. Around a third of the RAF Bomber Command crew did not...

The RAF has effectively paused making job offers to white male recruits in favour of women and ethnic minorities to meet "impossible" diversity targets, defence sources have claimed. The alleged move has prompted the head of recruitment for the Royal Air Force (RAF) - herself a senior female officer - to resign in recent days in protest amid concerns that any such restrictions on hiring, however temporary and limited, could undermine the fighting strength of the service, the sources said. The defence sources accused Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the RAF, of appearing willing to compromise...

Investigators fear a £100million F-35 fighter jet crashed into the Mediterranean while taking off because the cheap rain covers had not been taken off properly. Officials believe the rain cover was sucked into the F-35B Lightning II stealth plane's engine as it took off from the flight deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, forcing the pilot to eject. Naval personnel reported seeing the cover floating in the sea nearby Britain's flagship aircraft carrier after the accident in the Mediterranean on Sunday. Sources said the RAF pilot realised the issue and tried to abort take-off but was unable to stop the...

The son of a Bomber Command pilot whose plane exploded in a fireball in Nazi Germany has revealed his father's incredible story of survival during the war. Gerald Sherwood, 80, from St Austell, Cornwall, told how Wing Commander John 'Flap' Sherwood took part in a daring mission before being captured in his new book. He also highlighted how the RAF hero was chucked in Stalag Luft III - the Luftwaffe-run prisoner of war camp made famous by the Great Escape.

A team of Special Air Service soldiers who were surrounded by Taliban hordes in Kandahar have been rescued in a dramatic desert operation. Around 20 elite SAS troops were left stranded in the province hundreds of miles from friendly forces when the militants took over. As enemy fighters closed in they sent an SOS request to Special Forces bosses back in Britain calling for immediate extraction....

Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) is embracing gender-neutral pronouns such as ‘Ze’, ‘Per’, and ‘Hir’ to become “fit for the 21st century.” The 102-year-old air force told Forces.net that it “actively promotes diversity and inclusion throughout its ranks in a number of ways” and that the “open and transparent sharing of chosen pronouns is one way we can be an inclusive employer.” The charges mean, according to Forces.net, that from now on “a Leading Aircraftman could be referred to as a Leading Aircraft-Per,” for example.

A World War II aircraft which was sent to a museum in 1944 was far deadlier than its reputation suggests, according to a historian. The Boulton Paul Defiant had a Rolls Royce Merlin engine - just like the acclaimed Spitfire and Hurricane - but it also had a second seat with a machine gun turret for blasting enemy bombers out of the sky. When it was first introduced into service, Luftwaffe pilots initially mistook the aircraft for a Hurricane and would attempt to roll in behind the aircraft to shoot it down only to be faced by its deadly Browning...

Dubliner John Hemingway (100) fought in the Battle of Britain Irishman John Hemingway is now the last of the second World War “Few” who fought in the Battle of Britain still alive. It follows the death in a Yorkshire care home of Flight Lieutenant Terry Clark (101) on the eve of the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day on Thursday. The “Few” were so called by Britain’s wartime prime minister Winston Churchill in reference to the 3,000 men from the Royal Air Force (RAF) who repulsed the German Luftwaffe during the summer and autumn of 1940 and prevented...

During the final months of World War II, from February 13 to 15, 1945, Allied forces bombed the ancient, cathedral city of Dresden, in eastern Germany. The bombing was controversial because Dresden's contribution to the war effort was minimal compared with other German cities — though it was a key transport junction and used by German forces to defend the country against Soviet forces approaching from the east. Before the huge air raid, it had not suffered a major Allied attack. By February 15, however, it was a smouldering ruin — 2,400 tons of high explosives and 1,500 tons of...

Air Force Thunderbirds to Join Royal Air Force Red Arrows, F-35s & F-22s in Historic Aerial Parade over the Hudson River Six F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft from the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, will join the Royal Air Force Red Arrows, a formation of F-35A Lightning IIs and a formation of F-22 Raptors during an aerial parade over the Hudson River at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 22, 2019. Viewers can expect to see multiple iconic aircraft formations flying by the Manhattan skyline in a sequenced display of teamwork and airmanship. A 6-ship Thunderbird Delta...

A report in British media is claiming that the Royal Air Force, which saved the country from Nazi invasion in 1940, is not ready for full-on combat should another war break out in Europe. The Daily Mirror reports that one-third of British RAF planes were either in storage or in maintenance as the air service celebrated its 100th year in existence. Quoting the Defense Ministry, the news site said that aircraft have been mothballed and taken out of front-line service for periods of time because they need repairs and upgrades.

The Tornado has launched hundreds of airstrikes on so-called Islamic State in the Middle East (Picture: MOD). Built more than 40 years ago to fight a nuclear war, the RAF's primary ground attack platform is due to be retired from service by March 2019. The Tornado can also conduct intelligence gathering missions and is armed with a variety of Paveway bombs, Brimstone air-to-air missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles. The aircraft also possesses an Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) for defensive purposes. When deployed in an armed reconnaissance or close air support role, it would usually be armed with...

A World War Two veteran who grew up in poverty and described himself as the "world's oldest rebel" has died. The son of RAF veteran and author Harry Leslie Smith tweeted to say his father had died while visiting him in Canada. The son of a miner, Mr Smith lived through the Great Depression and joined the RAF in 1941, serving in World War Two.

A model of the Tempest jet fighter, unveiled by the defence secretary, Gavin Wiliamson, at the Farnborough airshow. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters The defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, has unveiled plans for a new RAF fighter jet, the Tempest, which will eventually replace the Eurofighter Typhoon. Speaking at the Farnborough airshow, Williamson unveiled a model of the sixth-generation fighter jet the Ministry of Defence (MoD) expects to emerge from its new combat air strategy, designed to maintain the UK’s status as a so-called “tier one” military power after Brexit. “This is a strategy to keep control of the air, both at...

The largest concentration of military aircraft in recent memory formed in the skies above London today as the Royal Air Force marks its centenary year. Up to 100 jets, helicopters and aeroplanes from across a range of different eras of RAF history roared over Buckingham Palace as the Queen and others, including the Fab Four of Harry, Meghan, William and Kate, watched on from the royal balcony. Thousands lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the iconic fly-past, which included some of the most iconic aircrafts to take flight during the Second World War, including the Spitfire and the...