Naval Strike Wing
| Naval Strike Wing | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 9 March 2007 |
| Disbanded | 1 April 2010 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Type | Wing headquarters |
| Role | Harrier operations |
| Size | 197 personnel, including 16 pilots[1] |
| Part of | |
| Airbase | RAF Cottesmore |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | |
The Naval Strike Wing (NSW) was a flying unit of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy.
History[edit]
The Naval Strike Wing (NSW) was formed on 9 March 2007 (following the re-forming of 800 Naval Air Squadron in 2006, and 801 Naval Air Squadron on 9 March 2007). It included elements of 801 and 800 Naval Air Squadrons, amalgamated into a single operational unit for deployment either on land or aboard the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers. Equipped with the GR.7 and GR.9 variants of the British Aerospace Harrier II, a second-generation vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) jet aircraft, it was based at RAF Cottesmore, NSW was the Naval component of Joint Force Harrier.
On 1 April 2010, NSW reverted to the identity of 800 Naval Air Squadron, flying the Harrier GR9 and GR9A variants. Following the decision to withdraw the Harrier from service in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, a Harrier GR9 made its last flight from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, on 24 November 2010.
Force Commanders[edit]
List of commanding officers of Naval Strike Wing (NSW):[2]
- Commander A.P. Orchard, RN, from 9 March 2007
- Commander K.W. Seymour, RN, from 6 June 2007
- Commander D.J. Lindsay, RN, from 29 April 2009
- became 800 Naval Air Squadron - 1 April 2010
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- Wilkinson, Tom (24 November 2010). "Last Harrier jet leaves Ark Royal". Independent. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
Bibliography[edit]
- Ballance, Theo; Howard, Lee; Sturtivant, Ray (2016). The Squadrons and Units of the Fleet Air Arm. Air Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-489-2.
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- ^ "Naval Strike Wing - Hansard - UK Parliament". hansard.parliament.uk. 15 December 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 314.