792 Naval Air Squadron
792 Naval Air Squadron (792 NAS) was a Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and was originally formed at RNAS St Merryn in August 1939 as an Air Target Unit, equipped with six Blackburn Skuas. The squadron disbanded in 1945 and merged with 794 Naval Air Squadron.
| 792 Naval Air Squadron | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940–45[1] 1945–50[1] 2001– |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Role | Missile Testing |
| Part of | Fleet Air Arm |
| Garrison/HQ | RNAS Culdrose |
| Motto(s) | "Sapienta Vincit Tenebras" "Wisdom Conquers Darkness". |
792 Squadron reformed at RNAS Culdrose in 1948 as a Night Fighter Training Unit. It was initially equipped with Fairey Firefly NF.1s and Avro Ansons. They were later replaced with Sea Hornets shortly before the squadron disbanded again in August 1950.
The squadron was reformed at RNAS Culdrose in November 2001 from the Fleet Target Group from RNAS Portland, which closed in 1998. It operated the Mirach 100/5 unmanned subsonic drones which were used to test the Sea Dart Missile System on Type 42 destroyers and Sidewinder missiles on Harrier and Tornado fighters. It is not listed on the current Royal Navy website and is believed to have been replaced by QinetiQ's Combined Aerial Target Service contract.
References
- Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 116.
- Bibliography
- Sturtivant, R; Ballance, T (1994). The Squadrons of The Fleet Air Arm. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.
