RAF CinC MOD UK
31st Mar 2018, 23:13
It is with great sadness and disappointment that I must announce the disbanding of the Royal Air Force, on what is today, its 100th anniversary.
This unfortunate event will take place over the course of the next 24 months with the RAF officially standing down, on the first of April 2020, which unfortunately coincides with it being the 102nd anniversary of its formation in 1918.
The various branches of the RAF will be divided up and personnel transferred to both the Royal Navy and the Army.
It is proposed that the UK Air Defence role will go to the Royal Navy’s, Fleet Air Arm, with all the Fast Jet Pilots, navigators and Ground Crew transferring to the Royal Navy.
The Transport, AWACS, Tankers and Rotary wing will become the Army’s responsibility and all Pilots and Ground Crew will be transferred to the Army over the next 24 months.
The SAR role will remain independent of the Army’s rotary sections and their specialist role training will be carried out by the FAA.
All RAF Personnel will be officially addressed on the changes once back at work following the Easter stand down and will receive a full brief on how it will affect them as both servicemen and civilian staff. The brief details of the changes are outlined below and although not finalised, the document outlining the changes in full, is awaiting formal signature.
It is expected that the amalgamation will save in the region of five Billion pounds annually, once the disbandment has been completed.
Basic flying training will still be completed at what will become the Centre of Flying Excellence, ‘HMS Cranwell’, when it goes back under the control to the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm, later this year. They will be responsible for all service ab initio flying training and on completion of the EFT courses, Successful students will then be ‘streamed’ and then ‘join’ the Navy or Army respectively, according to their abilities. They will then Graduate from HMS Cranwell in the uniforms relative to their flying career role, whether that be Navy or Army.
Officer and Aircrew Training will continue at HMS Cranwell, but only for the Aviation orientated candidates. Both BRNC Dartmouth and RMC Sandhurst will continue to train ‘non Flying’ Officer roles and Candidates will be divided between the Navy and the Army depending on entrants requests and the service requirements and needs.
The station annotation of RAF ‘XXXX’ will be replaced with ‘HMS’ and ‘Barracks’ respectively, dependant of the role the stations will provide.
The RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, will in future be known just as ‘The Red Arrows’ and will continue to display as they do now. The only difference being that the pilots will now be serving Fleet Air Arm pilots, following their transfer from the RAF. Likewise, the BBMF will be transferred to Yeovilton, and will become part of what will be known as ‘The Historic Flight’
All pay and pension structures will remain unaffected for those already serving, and any new recruits will receive pay and pension conditions from the service they join.
The full details of the changes will be outlined at the respective briefings being held later this month.
Although there will be job losses and redundancies, it is proposed that many of these can be dealt with by natural wastage.
A helpline is being set up and its number will be released later today.
This unfortunate event will take place over the course of the next 24 months with the RAF officially standing down, on the first of April 2020, which unfortunately coincides with it being the 102nd anniversary of its formation in 1918.
The various branches of the RAF will be divided up and personnel transferred to both the Royal Navy and the Army.
It is proposed that the UK Air Defence role will go to the Royal Navy’s, Fleet Air Arm, with all the Fast Jet Pilots, navigators and Ground Crew transferring to the Royal Navy.
The Transport, AWACS, Tankers and Rotary wing will become the Army’s responsibility and all Pilots and Ground Crew will be transferred to the Army over the next 24 months.
The SAR role will remain independent of the Army’s rotary sections and their specialist role training will be carried out by the FAA.
All RAF Personnel will be officially addressed on the changes once back at work following the Easter stand down and will receive a full brief on how it will affect them as both servicemen and civilian staff. The brief details of the changes are outlined below and although not finalised, the document outlining the changes in full, is awaiting formal signature.
It is expected that the amalgamation will save in the region of five Billion pounds annually, once the disbandment has been completed.
Basic flying training will still be completed at what will become the Centre of Flying Excellence, ‘HMS Cranwell’, when it goes back under the control to the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm, later this year. They will be responsible for all service ab initio flying training and on completion of the EFT courses, Successful students will then be ‘streamed’ and then ‘join’ the Navy or Army respectively, according to their abilities. They will then Graduate from HMS Cranwell in the uniforms relative to their flying career role, whether that be Navy or Army.
Officer and Aircrew Training will continue at HMS Cranwell, but only for the Aviation orientated candidates. Both BRNC Dartmouth and RMC Sandhurst will continue to train ‘non Flying’ Officer roles and Candidates will be divided between the Navy and the Army depending on entrants requests and the service requirements and needs.
The station annotation of RAF ‘XXXX’ will be replaced with ‘HMS’ and ‘Barracks’ respectively, dependant of the role the stations will provide.
The RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, will in future be known just as ‘The Red Arrows’ and will continue to display as they do now. The only difference being that the pilots will now be serving Fleet Air Arm pilots, following their transfer from the RAF. Likewise, the BBMF will be transferred to Yeovilton, and will become part of what will be known as ‘The Historic Flight’
All pay and pension structures will remain unaffected for those already serving, and any new recruits will receive pay and pension conditions from the service they join.
The full details of the changes will be outlined at the respective briefings being held later this month.
Although there will be job losses and redundancies, it is proposed that many of these can be dealt with by natural wastage.
A helpline is being set up and its number will be released later today.