Aviation 10

reaction UK Mobile Force at high readiness

for rapid overseas deployment.

In May 1970, 54 Sqn exercised its

reinforcement role as part of Exercise

Bersatu Padu, sending four Phantoms

from Coningsby to Tengah, Singapore, in

a record-breaking 14-hour non-stop air-

refuelled  ight.

Retired Air Marshal Philip Sturley, a former

No.41 Phantom pilot, recalled: “Coningsby

with 6, 54 and 41 Squadrons was the ‘go

anywhere, do anything’ wing equipped with

this true multi-role aeroplane. Able to perform

air defence tasks, and exercised in that role,

their main mission was day/night attack and

later reconnaissance work.”

Fourteen of the Fleet Air Arm’s 50 F-4K/

FG.1 order were diverted directly to the

RAF following the government decision in

the late 1960s to withdraw the Royal Navy

carrier force. Allocated to the purely air

defence role, they joined 43 Sqn which

re-formed at RAF Leuchars in Scotland on

September 1, 1969.

Crews for 14 and 17 Squadrons

meanwhile passed through 228 OCU in

1970 to  y the  rst Phantoms bound for

RAF Germany (RAFG) at Brüggen. The

station’s  nal Phantom unit, 31 Sqn, formed

in October 1971, completing RAFG’s

nuclear-capable strike wing. It permanently

maintained aircraft on 15-minute quick

reaction alert (QRA), carrying US-supplied

nuclear weapons. For conventional missions

the aircraft could be armed with general-

purpose 540lb (245kg) and 1,000lb (454kg)

bombs, SNEB 155 unguided rockets and

Hunting BL-755 cluster weapons.

RECONNAISSANCE

In April 1971, II(AC) Sqn re-formed at RAF

Laarbruch as the  rst dedicated Phantom

recce unit (later joined by 41 Sqn), using the

specially developed EMI reconnaissance

pod. Thirty aircraft were wired to use

44 Aviation News incorporating Jets October 2018

FG.1 order were diverted directly to the pod. Thirty aircraft were wired to use

In the late spring of 1979, FGR.2 XV424 of 56

Sqn gained a special livery to commemorate

Alcock and Brown’s transatlantic  ight 60

years earlier. Its time in the anniversary

markings was short though – it had been

resprayed in the standard air defence grey

colour scheme by November of that year.

Today, XV424 is preserved at the RAF

Museum Hendon. Key Collection

Above: Camou aged FGR.2 XV421 of 14 Sqn in July 1975. Peter R Foster

Below: Phantom FGR.2 XV478/O of 54 Sqn on March 26, 1974. Peter R Forster