List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
This is a list of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA).
Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber
On 1 April 1918 the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was merged with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to form the Royal Air Force (RAF) which directly operated and controlled all naval aircraft. On 1 April 1924 the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force was created as a distinct component of the RAF, which existed until 24 May 1939 when command of the Fleet Air Arm was transferred back to Royal Navy control. Coastal Command patrol aircraft, including most large seaplanes, remained with the RAF despite their operations in a naval environment. Prototypes were largely under the control of the Air Ministry and not the Fleet Air Arm until their introduction into service.
Conventional Aircraft
Acronyms in table
- ASW; Anti-submarine warfare
- ECM; Electronic counter measures
- EW; Electronic Warfare aircraft
| Model | Role | Origin | In Service | Withdrawn | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairey IIID & F | Spotter/target tug | UK | 1918 | 1940 | |
| Avro 652 | Transport | UK | 1941 | 1942 | 2 impressed airliners |
| Fairey Albacore | Torpedo/dive bomber | UK | 1940 | 1943 | |
| Avro Anson | Trainer/Communications | UK | 1942 | 1955 | |
| Supermarine Attacker | Fighter/fighter-bomber | UK | 1951 | 1957 | |
| Hawker Audax | Trainer | UK | 1941 | 1945 | 4 ex-RAF |
| Grumman Avenger/Tarpon | Torpedo bomber/ASW/EW | US | 1943 | 1962 | Lend-lease and MDAP |
| British Aerospace BAe 125 | VIP transport | UK | ? | n/a | |
| Blackburn Baffin | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1934 | 1946 | |
| Martin Baltimore | Medium bomber | US | 1944 | 1946 | ex-RAF |
| Fairey Barracuda | Torpedo/dive bomber | UK | 1943 | 1953 | |
| Fairey Battle | Trainer | UK | 1939 | 1944 | 3 ex-RAF |
| Bristol Beaufighter | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1943 | 1946 | |
| Bristol Beaufort | Torpedo bomber/minelayer/trainer | UK | 1943 | 1946 | |
| Avro Bison | Spotter | UK | 1922 | 1929 | |
| Brewster Bermuda | Dive bomber | US | n/a | n/a | 5 for evaluation only |
| Blackburn Blackburn | Spotter | UK | 1923 | 1931 | |
| Bristol Blenheim | Trainer | UK | 1941 | 1944 | ex-RAF |
| Douglas Boston | Medium bomber | US | 1943 | 1945 | ex-RAF |
| Blackburn Buccaneer | Strike | UK | 1962 | 1978 | |
| Brewster Buffalo | Fighter | US | 1940 | 1941 | ex-Belgian |
| English Electric Canberra | Trainer/target tug/drone | UK | ? | 1992 | |
| Vought-Sikorsky Chesapeake | Torpedo bomber/trainer | US | 1941 | 1944 | |
| De Havilland Chipmunk | Trainer | UK | 1965 | ? | ex-RAF |
| Curtiss Cleveland | Dive bomber | US | n/a | n/a | 1 for evaluation only |
| Vought Corsair | Fighter | US | 1943 | 1947 | Lend-lease |
| Douglas Dakota | Transport | US | 1944 | 1946 | |
| Blackburn Dart | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1922 | 1935 | |
| Douglas Dauntless | Dive bomber | US | 1944 | 1946 | |
| Eurocopter AS.365N-2 Dauphin 2 | Trainer | France | 1999 | n/a | |
| Boulton Paul Defiant | Target tug | UK | 1943 | 1946 | |
| De Havilland DH.86 | Transport/trainer | UK | 1940 | 1945 | 6 impressed/ex-RAF |
| De Havilland Dominie | Trainer/transport | UK | 1940 | 1963 | Some impressed |
| Westland Dragonfly | Air-sea rescue | UK | 1951 | 1960 | |
| Airspeed Envoy | Transport/trainer | UK | 1941 | 1941 | 1 ex-RAF |
| Beechcraft Expeditor/Navigator | Transport | US | 1943 | 1954 | Lend-lease |
| Miles Falcon Six | Communications | UK | 1940 | 1941 | 1 impressed |
| Blackburn Firebrand | Torpedo-fighter | UK | 1944 | 1956 | |
| Fairey Firefly | Fighter/night fighter/ASW/trainer | UK | 1943 | 1956 | |
| De Havilland Flamingo | Transport | UK | 1940 | 1946 | 2 impressed |
| Fairey Flycatcher | Fighter | UK | 1923 | 1934 | |
| De Havilland Fox Moth | Communications | UK | 1941 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
| Fairey Fulmar | Fighter/night fighter | UK | 1940 | 1945 | |
| Fairey Gannet | ASW/Airborne Early Warning/transport/EW/trainer | UK | 1954 | 1979 | |
| Westland Gazelle | Trainer/utility | UK | 1974 | 2010 | |
| De Havilland Gipsy Moth | Trainer | UK | 1940 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
| Gloster Gladiator | Fighter | UK | 1938 | 1945 | |
| Grumman Goose | Transport | US | 1942 | 1946 | Lend-lease |
| British Aerospace Harrier II | Strike | UK | 2006 | 2011 | |
| Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow | Transport | UK | 1942 | 1943 | ex-RAF |
| Hawker Hart/Hart Trainer | Trainer | UK | 1939 | 1942 | ex-RAF |
| North American Harvard | Trainer | US | 1943 | 1955 | |
| Douglas Havoc | Medium Bomber | US | 1941 | 1943 | 9 ex-RAF |
| Hawker Siddeley Hawk | Trainer | UK | 1994 | n/a | |
| Grumman Hellcat/Gannet | Fighter/night fighter | US | 1943 | 1946 | |
| Curtiss Helldiver | Dive bomber | US | 1943 | 1945 | Lend-lease |
| Hawker Henley | Target tug | UK | 1939 | 1944 | 7 ex-RAF |
| De Havilland Hornet Moth | Communications | UK | 1939 | 1945 | 1 impressed & 4 from Canada |
| Vought-Sikorsky Hoverfly I | Training/rescue/utility | US | 1944 | 1948? | |
| Vought-Sikorsky Hoverfly II | ? | US | ? | ? | |
| Hiller HT | Trainer/communications | US | 1963 | 1975 | |
| Lockheed Hudson | Transport | US | 1944 | 1945 | 4 ex-RAF |
| Hawker Hunter | Trainer/drone | UK | ? | 1994 | |
| Hawker Hurricane | Fighter | UK | 1941 | 1945 | |
| BAe Jetstream | Trainer | UK | 1979 | 2011 | ex-RAF |
| Beechcraft King Air Avenger | Trainer | US | 2011 | n/a | |
| Vought Kingfisher | Reconnaissance | US | 1942 | 1943 | Lend-lease |
| Avro Lancaster | Heavy bomber | UK | 1945 | 1947 | ex-RAF |
| De Havilland Leopard Moth | ? | UK | 1940 | 1946 | 2 impressed |
| Westland Lynx | ASW/air-sea rescue/transport | UK | 1976 | n/a | |
| Westland Lysander | Target tug | UK | 1940 | 1944 | 67 ex-RAF |
| Miles Magister | Trainer | UK | 1937 | 1945 | |
| Miles Martinet | Target tug | UK | 1943 | 1947 | |
| Martin Maryland | Medium bomber/target tug | US | 1940 | 1944 | 7 ex-RAF |
| Miles Master | Trainer | UK | 1940 | 1948 | |
| Westland Merlin | ASW/Transport | UK | 2000 | n/a | |
| Gloster Meteor | Trainer/target tug | UK | ? | ? | |
| North American Mitchell | Medium bomber | US | 1943 | 1943 | 1 for evaluation only |
| Miles Monitor | Target tug | UK | 1945 | 1955 | ex-RAF |
| De Havilland Mosquito | various | UK | 1944 | ? | |
| De Havilland DH.60M Moth | Trainer | UK | 1939 | 1943 | 6 impressed/ex-RAF |
| Gloster Nightjar | Fighter | UK | 1920 | 1924 | |
| Hawker Nimrod | Fighter/utility | UK | 1932 | 1942 | |
| Hawker Osprey | Fighter/reconnaissance | UK | 1931 | 1940 | |
| Airspeed Oxford | Trainer | UK | 1942 | 1954 | ex-RAF |
| Bellanca Pacemaker | Communications | US | 1939 | 1940 | 1 impressed |
| Parnall Panther | Spotter | UK | 1919 | 1926 | |
| Parnall Peto | Submarine-borne reconnaissance | UK | 1926 | 1932 | |
| Percival Petrel | Transport | UK | 1939 | 1944 | 4 impressed/ex-RAF |
| McDonnell Douglas Phantom | Fighter/ground attack | US | 1968 | 1978 | |
| Parnall Plover | Fighter | UK | 1923 | 1924 | Operational evaluation |
| Percival Proctor | Trainer | UK | 1939 | ? | |
| De Havilland Puss Moth | Communications | UK | 1940 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
| De Havilland Queen Bee | Target drone | UK | 1941 | 1946 | 5 examples |
| Miles Queen Martinet | Target drone | UK | 1945 | 1946 | 3 examples |
| Stinson Reliant | Trainer/communications | US | 1944 | 1946 | Lend-lease |
| Blackburn Ripon | Torpedo bomber/reconnaissance | UK | 1929 | 1935 | |
| Blackburn Roc | Fighter | UK | 1938 | 1943 | |
| Supermarine Scimitar | Fighter/tanker | UK | 1957 | 1970 | |
| Boulton Paul Sea Balliol | Trainer | UK | 1952 | 1963 | |
| De Havilland Sea Devon | Transport | UK | 1955 | 1981 | |
| Hawker Sea Fury | Fighter | UK | 1947 | 1962 | |
| Gloster Sea Gladiator | Fighter/communications | UK | 1939 | 1945 | |
| British Aerospace Sea Harrier | Fighter/reconnaissance/ground attack/trainer | UK | 1979 | 2006 | |
| Hawker Sea Hawk | Fighter/fighter-bomber/ground attack | UK | 1953 | 1969 | |
| de Havilland Sea Heron | Transport | UK | 1961 | 1981 | Bought second hand |
| de Havilland Sea Hornet | Fighter/night-fighter/reconnaissance | UK | 1947 | 1954 | |
| Hawker Sea Hurricane | Fighter | UK | 1941 | 1944 | |
| Westland Sea King | ASW/air-sea rescue/transport | UK | 1969 | n/a | |
| De Havilland Sea Mosquito | Strike/target tug | UK | 1946 | 1950s | |
| Supermarine Sea Otter | Air-sea rescue/reconnaissance/spotting | UK | 1944 | 1950 | |
| Hunting Sea Prince | Trainer/transport | UK | 1953 | 1978 | |
| de Havilland Sea Vampire | Fighter/trainer | UK | 1948 | 1968 | |
| de Havilland Sea Venom | Fighter/electronic countermeasures | UK | 1954 | 1961 | |
| de Havilland Sea Vixen | Fighter | UK | 1958 | 1972 | |
| Supermarine Seafire | Fighter/reconnaissance | UK | 1942 | 1954 | |
| Fairey Seafox | Spotting/reconnaissance | UK | 1937 | 1943 | |
| Fairey Seal | Spotter/reconnaissance | UK | 1933 | 1943 | |
| Curtiss Seamew | Reconnaissance | US | 1944 | 1945 | Never used operationally |
| Short Seamew | ASW/Maritime patrol | UK | 1956 | 1957 | Evaluation only |
| Blackburn Shark | Torpedo bomber/target tug | UK | 1934 | 1944 | |
| Blackburn Skua | Fighter/dive bomber/target tug | UK | 1938 | 1941 | |
| Douglas Skyraider | Airborne Early Warning | US | 1951 | 1960 | |
| Supermarine Spitfire | Fighter | UK | 1942 | 1945 | |
| Short Sturgeon | Target tug | UK | 1951 | 1959 | |
| Fairey Swordfish | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1936 | 1946 | |
| Grumman Tigercat | Fighter | US | 1944 | 1945 | 2 for evaluation only |
| De Havilland Tiger Moth | Trainer/communications | UK | 1939 | 1965 | 113 ex-RAF |
| Beech Traveller | Communications | US | 1944 | 1946 | Lend-lease |
| Avro Tutor | Trainer | UK | 1937 | 1942 | |
| Grob G 115 Tutor | Trainer | Germany | ? | ? | |
| Hawker Typhoon | Fighter/ground attack | UK | 1943 | 1943 | 1 for evaluation only |
| de Havilland Vampire | Fighter/fighter-bomber | UK | ? | ? | |
| Percival Vega Gull | Communications | UK | 1939 | 1945 | 7 impressed |
| Vultee Vengeance | Dive bomber/target tug | US | 1944 | 1947 | Lend-lease |
| Lockheed Ventura | Medium bomber | US | 1942 | 1942 | 1 for evaluation only |
| Supermarine Walrus | Spotter/air-sea rescue/ | UK | 1936 | 1946 | |
| Westland Walrus | Spotter/reconnaissance | UK | 1921 | 1925 | |
| Westland Wasp | ASW | UK | 1963 | 1980 | |
| Vickers Wellington | Trainer/transport | UK | 1942 | 1946 | Ex-RAF |
| Westland Wessex | ASW/air-sea rescue/transport | UK | 1961 | 1983 | |
| Sikorsky Whirlwind | ASW/transport/air-sea rescue | US | 1952 | 1969 | MDAP |
| Westland Whirlwind | ASW/air-sea rescue/transport | UK | 1956 | 1977 | |
| Miles Whitney Straight | Communications | UK | 1940 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
| Armstrong Whitworth Whitley | Trainer/transport | UK | 1942 | 1947 | |
| Grumman Widgeon | Transport | US | 1943 | 1946 | |
| AgustaWestland Wildcat | Attack | UK | n/a | n/a | Expected to enter service 2015 |
| Grumman Wildcat/Martlet | Fighter | US | 1940 | 1944 | Lend-lease |
| Westland Wyvern | Torpedo/trainer/strike | UK | 1953 | 1958 |
Helicopters to support the Royal Marines
Airships and balloons
UAVs and drones
Gliders
- Akaflieg München Mü13 - One former Luftwaffe (1945–1957)
- DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter - Three (1947–1952)
- Eliotts Olympia I - One (1946–1955)
- DFS Kranich I - One (1946–1960)
- DFS Kranich II - One (1946–1953)
- Schneider Grunau Baby - Six (1946–1952)
- Slingsby Cadet - One (1946–1949)
- Slingsby Prefect - One (1953–1956)
Missiles
Air-to-air missiles
- AMRAAM: Medium-range air-to-air missile
- Firestreak: Air-to-air missile (retired)
- Red Top: Air-to-air missile (retired)
- Sidewinder: Short-range air-to-air missiles
- Sparrow: Medium-range air-to-air missile
Air-to-surface missiles
- AS.11: Anti-ship missile carried by the Scout helicopter (retired)
- AS.12: Anti-ship missile carried by the Wasp and Wessex helicopters. (retired)
- Bullpup: Air-to-surface missile carried by the Scimitar (retired)
- Sea Eagle: Anti-ship missile, was carried by Buccaneer and Sea Harrier.
- Sea Skua: Anti-ship missile, normally carried by the Lynx.
- Sea Venom: Anti-ship missile, on order for use on the Wildcat.
See also
External links
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