Royal Air Force (RAF)

News Premium

CSG21: HMS Queen Elizabeth departs on historic first deployment

The Royal Navy’s new flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, departed from HMNB Portsmouth, Hampshire, on May 1 for a final test of its Carrier Strike Group, before continuing with the commencement of its historic maiden deployment

RAF Typhoons return to Romania for air policing mission

Four RAF-operated Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4s from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, have arrived in Romania to support NATO’s ongoing enhanced Air Policing (eAP) mission

OBITUARY: PRINCE PHILIP

Key.Aero pays tribute to the life, influence and military career of the Duke of Edinburgh

Joint British-Qatari Hawk squadron to be based at RAF Leeming

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and his Qatari counterpart, Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah, have announced an expansion of the relationship between each nation’s air forces

Feature Premium

The low-down of operating an RAF Hercules tactical transport

The RAF has more than 60 years of experience flying the Hercules, but as No 47 Squadron Flt Lt Peter Marshall explains, the key to effective, safe operations is constant practice

Feature Premium

Your definitive guide to the UK's radical new defence review

Following a decade of defence cuts, the Integrated Review promised to set out the UK government’s vision of a “Global Britain”, while outlining future defence spending and the posture of the nation’s armed forces through 2030. But what radical changes will this involve? Key.Aero investigates…

Storm Shadow makes combat debut with Typhoon

An RAF-operated Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 has fired MBDA's Storm Shadow for the first time in combat, having used the air-launched cruise missile to strike a target in Iraq on March 10

RAF completes final operational Sentinel R1 mission

The Royal Air Force carried out its final mission with the Raytheon Sentinel R.Mk 1 on February 25, bringing almost 13 years of operational UK military service to an end

Bailing out of a flaming Lancaster

A son tells the story of his father’s World War II exploits, including his time flying with 622 Squadron...

UK welcomes fifth Poseidon MRA1 at RAF Lossiemouth

The Royal Air Force has now received five of nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon MRA1 maritime patrol aircraft following the arrival of the fifth example at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, on February 2