Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force emblem
Founded	1 April 1918 (98 years)
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	Elizabeth II
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	33,240 Regular 1,940 RAuxAF 2,220 Air Force Reserve
Air Staff Offices	Whitehall, London
Motto(s)	Latin: Per Ardua ad Astra "Through Adversity to the Stars"
March	Royal Air Force March Past
Website	www.raf.mod.uk
Commanders
Chief of the Air Staff	Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier KCB CBE DFC
Notable commanders	Lord Trenchard Lord Portal
Insignia
Ensign
Logo
Roundels
Fin flashes
Pilot's Brevet
Aircraft flown
Attack	Panavia Tornado GR4 Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II (Testing) General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
Electronic warfare	Boeing E-3 SentryAEW1 (AEW)
Fighter	Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II (Testing)
Helicopter	Boeing Chinook HC2/2A/3 Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma HC2 Agusta A109E Power
Multirole helicopter	Bell 412 Griffin HAR2
Trainer helicopter	Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel HT1 Bell 412 Griffin HT1
Reconnaissance	Britten-Norman Islander CC2A Beechcraft Super King Air Shadow R1 Raytheon Sentinel R1 General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper Panavia Tornado GR4A Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint
Trainer	BAE Hawk Beechcraft Super King Air Short Tucano T1 Grob G 115 Tutor T1 Grob G 109 Vigilant T1 Grob G103a Twin II Viking TX1
Transport	Boeing C-17 Globemaster III C-17ER Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules C4/C5 Airbus A330 MRTT Voyager KC2/KC3 Airbus A400M Atlas C1 BAe 146 CC2/C3

The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world. Following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. Since its formation, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history, in particular, playing a large part in the Second World War where it fought its most famous campaign, the Battle of Britain.

The RAF's mission is to support the objectives of the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), which are to "provide the capabilities needed: to ensure the security and defence of the United Kingdom and overseas territories, including against terrorism; to support the Government’s foreign policy objectives particularly in promoting international peace and security". The RAF describe its mission statement as "... [to provide] An agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission". The mission statement is supported by the RAF's definition of air power, which guides its strategy. Air power is defined as "the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events".

Today the Royal Air Force maintains an operational fleet of various types of aircraft, described by the RAF as being "leading-edge" in terms of technology. This largely consists of fixed-wing aircraft, including: fighter and strike aircraft, airborne early warning and control aircraft, ISTAR and SIGINT aircraft, aerial refueling aircraft and strategic and tactical transport aircraft. The majority of the RAF's rotary-wing aircraft form part of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command in support of ground forces. Most of the RAF's aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving on operations (principally over Iraq and Syria) or at long-established overseas bases (Ascension Island, Cyprus, Gibraltar, and the Falkland Islands). Although the RAF is the principal British air power arm, the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and the British Army's Army Air Corps also deliver air power which is integrated into the maritime, littoral and land environments.