The Royal Air Force’s frontline Eurofighter Typhoon squadrons are engaged in an ex tremely diverse and demanding year-round schedule. Jamie Hunter examines how No 1 (Fighter) Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth meets these demands.
RAF NO 1 (FIGHTER) SQUADRON
LOOKING AT the overall Royal Air Force combat air fleet, it’s easy to see why a modern frontline fighter squadron would be an extremely challenging, yet hugely rewarding environment to work in. British foreign policy ambition has remained largely unaltered in the past 25 years, yet the available fast jet squadrons have dwindled significantly. As if to compound this in terms of expectations for these remaining squadrons, today’s combat air fleet no longer features a range of single-role aircraft, rather those with multi-role versatility to meet an array of missions. This is vital because air power is always the tool leaders reach for when the call to action comes.
For the RAF, the Tornado GR4 is in its twilight years, due to be retired from service in 2019 after one of the most illustrious and combat-proven careers in military aviation history. Filling the Tornado’s shoes is no easy task, yet the Eurofighter Typhoon has evolved to become a willing and cap…
