12 Sqn Typhoon
 

Defence Minister reveals new RAF Squadron at Qatar event

The number plate of a new Typhoon squadron set to integrate Qatari personnel was revealed by Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin at a reception to celebrate the country’s national day in London today.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was in Doha last weekend, where he agreed a package of training and co-operation between the British and Qatari Air Forces which will see them working together more regularly as part of the multi-billion pound deal to supply the country with 24 Typhoon aircraft. Defence Minister Harriett Baldwin expanded on that agreement at a State of Qatar National Day reception in London today. She revealed that a new UK-based Typhoon joint squadron will be called No. 12 squadron, and that it will temporarily integrate Qatari personnel, including pilots and ground-crew based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire......

The Qataris will not be a permanent part of the squadron, but will be integrated ahead of the delivery of the Typhoon aircraft. The move will provide the country with valuable joint frontline experience on an RAF Typhoon Squadron and speed up their preparation for when their own jets are delivered........ The new 12 squadron is currently operating Tornados, and will transition to the future Typhoon force......

.....and in a couple of years the RAF instructors will be working for/in Qatar as civilians.

Reported/rumoured elsewhere that the Sqn will work up in the UK then deploy/move to Qatar in time to provide AD cover over the 2022 World Cup.

Thank goodness they don`t rely upon A400M (70 Sqn) !!! To support them

Please forgive the embarrassingly dense question, but I am well and truly out of the Light Blue environment in the diaspora, so am not up to date with number plates etc

I'm assuming 12 are still operating GR4s out of Marham along with 9 & 31? Is this move one of the 2 extra Typhoon sqns that were announced in the SDSR that would be using early batch jets in the AD role? Or have I missed something else whilst buried under staff work and spreadsheets? :\

Just another question........why the number 12 and not a fighter squadron number?

Number Sequencing.
 

Perhaps we are aligning sqn numbers.

Are not sitting with 1-18 active now? Albeit with 16 being a training sqn. I may be incorrect.

It’s simple, makes sense and takes away the inevitable bickering when a new sqn is on the cards. Personnaly, I really don’t see the point in people insisting that 43 or, 111 for example are given precedence.

The RAF, certainly Typhoon, could do with having less squadrons of more people...

Tradition and heritage, don'cha know? No.4 is a reserve squadron at Valley, No.17 is evaluating the Lightning and No.15 has disbanded.

How about using some of the very short lived squadron numbers from the World Wars, drawn at random? That would settle some of the arguments, and it would be nice to see the likes of, say Nos.197 or 274 or 530 Squadrons reformed for a a change. Plus, it will fool the enemy into thinking the RAF is much bigger than it actually is!:8

What!, we don't actually have 617 Sqns. :\

I didn’t realise that the GR4 OCU was gone...

Some heritage still exists, certainly in terms of the P8 Sqns coming online.

Completely agree on the point regarding Typhoon sqn manning. I can’t see how they’ll be able to avoid pooling engineering manning at some point.

Don't think we even have 617 aircraft...:O

PDR

Sssh!! Don't tell them that!

Disbanded on 31 March 2017 sadly.

It is a rather neat way of hiding another squadron disbanding... even more cuts are coming and it appears the Army may no longer be blowing their own trumpet..

https://www.ft.com/content/0d614e8e-...4-0944c5f49e46

Behind a paywall - give us a clue...

"The Ministry of Defence reportedly plans cuts to 14 ensembles as the UK government seeks savings that will avoid affecting frontline troops. Nobody would dispute that combat soldiers are more essential to defence than trumpeters yet military musicians represent a country’s face to the world."

Which does miss the point that they do deploy on ops

http://www.army.mod.uk/music/34495.aspx

Surely the only reason we have so many squadrons is to make posts for wing commanders and squadron leaders. Why else would we have two squadrons of Voyager aircraft for a usable fleet of nine aircraft?

To have the capability to surge operate all 14 airframes in a crisis sans civilian crew?

Which is what we did in GW1. 12 Tornado's manned by two squadrons, aircrew and groundcrew.