No. IX Squadron RAF
|
|
| No. IX Squadron | ||
|---|---|---|
| Missing image 9_Squadron_RAF.jpg 9 Squadron badge Squadron badge | ||
| Information | ||
| Role | Strike / Attack / SEAD | |
| Aircraft Operated | Tornado GR4 | |
| Home Station | RAF Marham | |
| Motto | "Per noctum volamus (We fly by night)" | |
| History | ||
| Date Founded | 8 December 1914 | |
| Badge | A Bat | |
| Notable Battle Honours | Iraq 2003 | |
No. IX (Bomber) or 9 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was the first in the service to receive the Panavia Tornado, which it now operates from RAF Marham, Norfolk.
| Contents |
History
No. IX (B) Squadron was formed and disbaned twice during the First World War. The first incarnation was formed in France from a detachement of the RFC HQ; this lasted less than a year. Re-formed at Brooklands a few weeks later as a fighter squadron, No 9 was equipped with an assortment of different types; it was disbanded again after the war, in 1919.
The squadrons life as a bomber unit began on 1 April 1924, reforming at Upavon, later Manston, with the Vickers Vimy. Less than a year later, the sqn re-equipped with Virginia heavy bomber, which it retained until this was replaced by the Heyford in 1936. World War II began with the unit flying Vickers Wellington bombers out of RAF Honington; the Wellington gave way to the Avro Lancaster, with which the unit would complete its most famous sorties.
The Battleship Tirpitz had been moved into a fjord in Northern Norway where she threatened the Arctic convoys and was too far north to be attacked by air from the UK. She had already been damaged by a Royal Navy midget submarine attack and a second attack from carrier born aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. But both attacks had failed to sink her. The task was given to No. 9 and No.617 Squadrons who operating from a base in Russia attacked the Tirpitz with Tallboy bombs which damaged her so extensively that she was forced to head south to Tromsö fjord to be repaird. This fjord was in range of bombers operating from Scotland. There in October from a base in Scotland she was attacked again. Finally on November 12, 1944, the two squadrons attacked the Tirpitz and she capsized. All three RAF attacks on the Tirpitz were led by Wing Commander JB "Willy" Tait, who had succeeded Wing Commander Cheshire as CO of No. 617 Squadron in July 1944.
Current role
IX Squadron reformed in August 1982 at RAF Honington with the Panavia Tornado GR1, moving to RAF Bruggen in 1986. The Squadron deployed to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in 1990 as part of Operation Granby, the first Gulf War. The Squadron has conducted operations over southern Iraq in support of UN resolutions and over Kosovo in 1999.
IX Squadron continued its pioneering history by becoming the first squadron to receive the Tornado GR4 in 1999. A formal ceremony at RAF Bruggen on June 15 2001 officially ended a continuous RAF presence in Germany since World War II; on July 17 the Squadron completed its move to RAF Marham and all of the remaining Tornados had left by September 4 2001.
The squadron formed a part of the RAF contribution to the 2003 Iraq War (Operation Telic). Nos. II, IX, XIII, 33 and 617 Squadrons contributed to Tornado GR4 Wing 1 based at Ali al Salem, Kuwait. IX Squadron suffered a devastating loss on March 23 2003 when one of their aircraft was engaged by a Patriot battery in Kuwait while returning from a mission. The pilot and navigator were both killed. Immediately after the incident it was claimed that the RAF crew had failed to switch on their IFF beacon. However a US journalist embedded with the U.S. Army unit operating the Patriot battery said the "army Patriots were mistakenly identifying friendly aircraft as enemy tactical ballistic missiles."
While all Tornado GR.4s are capable of carrying the ALARM Anti Radiation Missile, only IX and 31 Sqns specialise in the role. In this role they are known as "Pathfinder" squadrons.
RAF Tornado squadrons
GR4
- No. IX Squadron - RAF Marham
- No. 12 Squadron - RAF Lossiemouth
- No. 14 Squadron - RAF Lossiemouth
- No. XV (Reserve) Squadron - RAF Lossiemouth
- No. 31 Squadron - RAF Marham
- No. 617 Squadron - RAF Lossiemouth
GR4A
- No. II Squadron - RAF Marham
- No. 13 Squadron - RAF Marham
F3
- No. 11 Squadron - RAF Leeming
- No. 25 Squadron - RAF Leeming
- No. 43 Squadron - RAF Leuchars
- No. 56 (Reserve) Squadron - RAF Leuchars
- No. 111 Squadron - RAF Leuchars
- No. 1435 Flight - RAF Mount Pleasant