No. LIV Squadron RAF

No. 54 Squadron RAF
Official Squadron Badge of No. 54 Squadron RAF
Active	5 May 1916 – 25 October 1919 15 January 1930 – 31 October 1945 15 November 1946 – 11 March 2005 1 September 2005 – present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Operational Conversion Unit
Base	RAF Waddington
Motto(s)	Latin: Audax Omnia Perpeti ("Boldness endures anything")
Equipment	E-3D Sentry & Sentinel R1
Battle honours	Western Front 1916–1918; Arras*; Ypres 1917*; Cambrai 1917*, Amiens*, Home Defence 1940–1945, France and Low Countries 1940, Dunkirk*, Battle of Britain 1940*, Fortress Europe 1941*, Eastern Waters [Australia] 1943–1945*, Gulf 1991 Honours marked with an asterisk* are emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron Badge	A lion rampant semée de Lys The Badge combines features of the arms of France and Flanders, scene of No. 54's battles in World War I.
Squadron Roundel
Squadron Codes	DL (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939, Apr 1944 – Oct 1945) KL (Sep 1939 – Jun 1942) HF (Nov 1945 – Apr 1948) (Codes taken over from No 183 Sqn) G (carried on Jaguars)

No. 54(R) Squadron (sometimes written as No. LIV Squadron) is a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It is a reserve squadron based at RAF Waddington, England. On 1 September 2005 it took on the role of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Operational Conversion Unit, responsible for training all RAF crews assigned to the E-3D Sentry AEW1 and the Nimrod R1 and the Sentinel R1 as well as running the Qualified Weapons Instructor Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Course (QWI ISR). The squadron was previously a SEPECAT Jaguar strike fighter unit, operating from RAF Coltishall, until it was disbanded on 11 March 2005. Since September 2005 the unit has been formally titled 54(Reserve) Squadron.

No. 54 Squadron was formed at Castle Bromwich on 5 May 1916. Like many others formed at the same time, was tasked with Home Defence duties flying BE2Cs and Avro 504s. Four months later, however, it re-equipped with Sopwith Pups, being the first Royal Flying Corps Squadron to operate the Pup. It moved to France as a day fighter squadron in December 1916. It was initially used as for bomber escort, claiming its first kill, an Albatros D.III, in April 1917, but specialised in attacking enemy observation balloons during the Battle of Arras.

The Pup soon became outclassed in air combat, however, and No. 54 concentrated on ground attack missions until it could re-equip with Sopwith Camels in December 1917, allowing to return to fighter duties, providing protection for Army co-operation squadrons. The German Spring Offensive saw a return to low level attack missions, carrying out both ground attack and fighter missions until the end of the War. In February 1919, the Squadron returned to RAF Yatesbury, reduced to cadre status and was disbanded on 25 October 1919.