RAF's 31 Squadron - The Gold Standard

Andrew Thomas chronicles the history of the RAF’s 31 Squadron, from sun-scorched colonial combat to the final flight of the Tornado GR.4

No 31’s fi rst single-seat type was the Jaguar GR.1. Their number included XZ392 and XX967, seen here over northern Germany in 1979. MOD
No 31’s first single-seat type was the Jaguar GR.1. Their number included XZ392 and XX967, seen here over northern Germany in 1979. MOD

In 1916 the unit – so named because of the gold star that dominates its squadron badge – was responsible for the first military flight out of India, while generations of 31’s personnel spent much of its 103-year career aloft over that continent and the deserts and mountains of the Middle East. This year, the unit has the distinction of being the last to fly the Panavia Tornado GR.4.

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