Timeline Index 4_P
Air
of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation
RAF Timeline 1961 - 1980
To view further details of each main Command development click on the Command
title on the right of the timeline
For a summary click here
February
1961
MEAF re-named Near East Air Force and BFAP
re-named Air Forces Middle East.
March 1961
RAF aircraft started famine relief operations in
Kenya (until April)
May 1961
1 - UK Air Defence Region formed.
June 1961
20/21 - First non stop flight UK - Australia by a
Vulcan flown by Sqn Ldr M G Beavis
July 1961
RAF aircraft assist Kuwait against Iraq.
October
1961
RAF aircraft carry out food drops in Kenya until
January (Operation 'Tana Flood')
November
1961
RAF fly supplies to Belize after Hurricane
'Hattie' (Operation 'Sky Help').
Hawker Siddeley Argosy entered service.
February
1962
Folland Gnat entered service
May 1962
HQ Near East Command disbanded
November
1962
Last Mosquitoes withdrawn from service
December
1962
FEAF aircraft assist in quelling Brunei Revolt.
Blue Steel entered service.
February
1963
No 617 Sqn began equipping with the Blue Steel
stand-off missile.
March 1963
31 - No's 11 and 12 Groups re-named Sectors
April 1963
1 - Directorate-General of Works transferred to
Ministry of Public Building and Works.
August 1963
Last Thor IRBM base closed.
December
1963
Operations begin in Malaya and Borneo against
Indonesian incursion.
January
1964
15 - BMEWS at Fylingdales goes fully
operational.
Westland Wessex entered service.
April 1964
1 - Ministry of Defence formed.
New RAF trade structure introduced.
September
1964
RAF assumed responsibility for internal security
of British Guiana.
October
1964
Technician and Craft Apprenticeships introduced,
replacing Aircraft Apprenticeships and Boy Entrants.
Kestral
Evaluation Squadron set up at West Raynham.
December
1964
Vickers Valiants withdrawn from service owing to
fatigue problems.
August 1965
Handley Page Victors take over AAR Tanker role
from Valiants.
October
1965
Hawker Siddeley Dominie entered service.
December
1965
RAF undertake operations from Zambia following
Rhodesian UDI.
January 1966
3 - RAF Technical College moved to RAF Cranwell.
Short Belfast entered service.
April 1966
1 - Airfield Construction Branch disbanded.
BAC VC10 entered service.
August 1966
Operations in Malaya and Borneo cease.
October
1966
Technical Branch re-named Engineer Branch.
November
1966
Hawker Siddeley Andover entered service.
December
1966
RAF operations in Zambia cease.
March 1967
RAF fighters bomb the tanker Torrey Canyon
aground off Cornwall.
July 1967
Lockheed Hercules entered service
August
1967
1 - Transport Command re-named Air Support
Command
November
1967
8 - British Forces begin final withdrawal from Aden
having been under RAF control for 40 years.
January 1968
Handley Page Hastings withdrawn from service as
a transport.
April
1968
1 - 50th Anniversary of RAF.
30 - Strike Command formed by merging Fighter, and Bomber Commands.
June 1968
1 - Training Command formed by merging FTC and
TTC.
14 - Queen attends 50th Anniversary flying display at Abingdon.
Avro Anson withdrawn from service
August 1968
1 - WRAF officers adopt RAF ranks.
November
1968
28 - Coastal Command absorbed into Strike Command
as No 18 (Maritime) Group.
January 1969
Signals Command disbanded.
May 1969
4-11 - Harrier of No 1 Sqn won the London - Ne
York air Race
McDonnell Phantom entered service
June 1969
30 - Nuclear deterrent role taken over by Royal Navy.
October
1969
Hawker Siddeley Harrier, Hawker Siddeley
Buccaneer and Hawker Siddeley Nimrod entered service.
April 1970
4 - Last RAF Dakota retired from service (until
March 1993)
September
1970
Graduate entry replaced Cadet entry at RAF
College, Cranwell.
November
1970
RAF took part in flood relief operations in
Pakistan (Operation 'Burlap')
June 1971
Aerospatiale Puma entered service
November 1971
31 - FEAF disbanded
December 1971
15 - Air Forces Gulf disbanded
January 1972
Shackleton AEW Mk 2 entered service.
September 1972
Air Support Command absorbed by Strike Command. Hawker
Hunter re-entered service with Strike Command.
November 1972
RAF Museum at Hendon opened.
March 1973
RAF airlift supplies to Himalayan villages in Nepal (Operation
'Khana Cascade')
April 1973
Scottish Aviation Bulldog entered service.
June 1973
Scottish Aviation Jetstream entered service.
July 1973
Aerospatiale Gazelle entered service
September 1973
Maintenance Command re-named Support Command.
Sepecat
Jaguar entered service.
March 1975
Westland Wessex takes on SAR role.
RAF assist in evacuation of civilians from Cambodia
June 1975
Comet retired from service
October 1975
RAF assist in evacuation from Angola.
November 1975
RAF take over defence of Belize (formerly British Honduras)
December 1975
Bristol Britannia retired from service.
March 1976
NEAF disbanded
April 1976
1 - RAF Gan in the Indian Ocean closed
Vickers Varsity retired from service.
September 1976
Short Belfast retired from service
June 1977
RAF Support Command formed by merging Support Command and
Training Command.
Handley Page Hastings withdrawn from service
July 1977
29 - Queen's Silver Jubilee Review at RAF Finningley.
December 1977
Westland Sea King HAR Mk 3 entered service
Jan 1978
October 1978
Canberras of No 13 Sqn left Malta becoming the last RAF unit
to be based on the island
Jan 1979
Jan 1980
This page was last updated on
17/03/25 ゥ
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