RAF M---- Call Signs 1970's?
 

Afternoon All

With looking on a website about RAF aircraft at Luqa Malta, their was a list of aircraft which were at Luqa in the 70's, Canberra,Nimrod, Vulcan, Shackletons. These had a call sign eg MONVC etc. Was this just for while in Malta or was this used around the globe, also their were aircraft with a RAFAIR call sign? Why did some use RAFAIR and not a M---- Call sign?

Glider 90

On the Nimrod fleet in the mid 80s to mid 90s when on ops we used trigraph callsigns such as M6A or D7L but when on transits I seem to remember MARA XX callsigns.

Glider 90

As I recall the M**** callsigns were used for W/T operation and Rafair was the RAF R/T (plus c/s or abbreviated c/s) version, e.g. Rafair Mike Oscar November Victor Charlie or Mike Victor Charlie. I understand that MO*** indicated transport aircraft.

MO*** wasn't limited to transport. Did an overseas trip from Kinloss as Mike Oscar Golf Golf Yankee once. There was a list kept in Ops and you just got the next one.

Cheers, NLH

Rafair is/was an awful, trashy, callsign unworthy of the fine people using it, IMHO.

Some callsigns stick in your memory. We used to use both RAFJET until we were told to use RAFAIR and a 4 number task number. For a given set of sorties we would have an allocated number block. For instance 48xx was allocated to V-bombers on Western Rangers. Each wing might be allocated a sequence within that block. I seem to remember that transports used ASCOT after the creation of Air Support Command. Before that they used RAFAIR with 4 number task numbers too.

In 1963 the Bomber Command Hastings used Mike callsigns. On one flight our Captain kept mutter Mike Whiskey Gin Vodka Tonic sure enough the Co transmitted that campaign :)

We then switched to a station telegraph plus 2 numbers with Mike callsigns for overseas In addition to RAFJET/RAFAIR.

In 1965 on a Western Ranger we had the unfortunate campaign Mike Tango Uniform Romeo Delta and the American propensity for usiencryp.

​​​​​​I think by 1970 we dropped the Mike callsigns. We then used a 3 character (or was it 4) for individual sorties using a particular codebook. I remember the Navy used these too but further encrypted. One such was Ark Royal SLANT SLANT ZERO SLANT is //0/

Not Long Here

That must have been after my time. Certainly MO plus H for Hastings, D for Dakota, V for Viking and R for Valetta in the 50s,. 4th and 5th letters for Squadron and individual aircraft.

The Finningley Dominie's (in the '70's) used M callsigns on their oversea's Navex's. Malta, Norway, Gib etc. One memorable one was MAGIC, which matched the crew to a tee.

Farnborough was allocated the 'MPDX_' block eg Comet XV814 was 'MPDXA' and Dakota ZA947 (now with BBMF and previously mis allocated KG661) was 'MPDXY'.

Some interesting call signs used back then for different aircraft. Was an aircraft ever allocated 2 call signs for an overseas flight like M---- / RAFAIR----- ?

Yes. The RAFAIR Callsign was a tasking number which was also related to Diplomatic Clearance and Block DipClear. For instance a bomber routed to through Italian airspace used one of two serial blocks. If it carried practice bombs it flew clear on land; if no bombs it could fly a shorter route overland.

PN

Thanks for that.

Indeed so. Only used a M**** c/s once, when one was a baby Wessex pilot in Sharjah. We held the Command spare aircraft, and on this occasion we had to deliver it to Muharram for the SAR Flight when they were all u/s.

C/s was MBFMN, remembered to this day as it was at the time as "Muharraq Bound For Monday Night".

That was the same trip when on return - by Argosy - the mover wouldn't let me take my Mae West on board as it was Dangerous Air Cargo. No mini flares, just the CO2 bottle that made it work!!!! Compressed gas cylinder he sez..........

Standard callsigns through the 50s/60s. Beverleys were MOBX ... At the time of the transfer from ABLE, BAKER, CHARLIE, DOG, etc to the ICAO version there was a deal of confusion at first - Victor Sylvester Foxtrot springs to mind! At one time, in the late 50s there was only one serviceable Bev in the Aden Peninsular and the Signaller devised his own version - Mike Oscar Blunderbuss Xmas Gurgle ... for not very long!!

Diplomatic Clearance could cause confusion on-air. I can recall an instance when a squadron aircraft was allocated for a special mission requiring Dip Clear and its callsign was used in the paper work. Unfortunately it went u/s before the event and was replaced by one from a different squadron, which retained the 'official' call. Two days later, our aircraft now being serviceable, I was using it for a 'Jolly' to Nicosia when I heard this 'namesake' calling so there were now two of me/us. Can't remember how it all ended, think I closed down on H.F. W/T and reverted to VHF only for the short trip.

Two A&AEE callsigns from the 1970s were MPRHA for Britannia XX367 and MPRHM for Comet XS235.

Thanks All, much appreciated.

In the 60s and 70s Marham based Victor Tankers used M**** callsigns for flights outside the UK FIRs. On Major trails the Tankers were allocated callsigns M***A, M***B, M***C etc, but reserve aircraft were allocated Station Callsigns such as ABC 69. The M**** callsign was tied to a particular task with it's associated Flight Plan, Dip Clearance and Altitude Reservation. It was essential that that callsign did that task, the crew or airframe were irrelevant.

In Aug 68 two Lightnings deployed to Toronto for the Airshow. There were 7(?) Tankers with M**** callsigns plus 2 Airborne Reserves and two Ground Reserves with Station Callsigns.
During the prestart checks aircraft would be found to be u/s, so, when informed of this the Lead Tanker Captain would instruct (for example)" M**D become ABC69, 69 become M**D."
This occured several times, as, if the original Tanker became serviceable again they would swap Callsigns and tasks back. At one point one Captain became confused and was heard to transmit " Tanker A - 69. I am now, oops, 69" The same would occur if changes happened after take off. On this trail the second Ground Reserve arrived at Goose Bay.

On another trail the second Ground Reserve, at Marham, arrived at Gan via Akrotiri and Masirah, with a very sweaty co pilot in an immersion suit.

On a trip from Goose Bay to Offutt AFB the copilot got confused by the Canadian Flight Plan Form and transposed the callsign and aircraft type. ATC were puzzled about the type MAMPA, but the callsign VICTOR1A worked a treat as VICTORIA.

I seem to recall that a Buccaneer was allocated Mike Alfa Foxtrot India Alfa for a transit from UK to Cyprus....

Until someone pointed out that this might cause problems with Italian ATC...

Ok, here's my penny-worth input to the subject.
I used to log all RAF callsigns to/from Malta as a young lad, from 1971-1979. Transit aircraft, especially fast jets used the Mxxxx type callsign. The second letter was either A,B,C,S,T,O,P. Transport Command had its own system, so, VIP aircraft usually used ASCOT 1xxx, ASCOT 2xxx were the VC-10s, ASCOT 3xxx were the Belfasts, ASCOT 4xxxx was for Hercs and the latter also used ASCOT 5xxx when supporting a detachment. ASCOT 6xxx was for Argosies. The Andover was at the latter stages of its life in the RAF and if I remember correctly they used ASCOT 7xxx, but I could be wrong
The tankers, when supporting the fast jets used RAFAIR and so did their receivers, only that the tankers used RAFAIR 8xx and their receivers used 9xx. The Navy Canberras, as did the Hunters used to use NAVJETxx on transits to/from Malta.
The local two squadrons, ie 13 & 203 routinely used 3 letters followed by 2 numbers for local sorties.
Happy to learn more about the subject.