British air services in the Falklands War

This is a list of the units, aircraft and casualties of the British air services in the Falklands War. The numbers in bold are the number of aircraft used in the war, the numbers in brackets are the number of lost aircraft. For a list of air forces from Argentina, see Argentine air forces in the Falklands War.

800 NAS Sea Harrier FRS1 in low-visibility paint scheme.

Units

Army Air Corps

Royal Marines

Fleet Air Arm

HMS Cardiff's Lynx helicopter 1982.
Squadron Aircraft[1] Number Lost Notes
737 NAS Wessex HAS.3 2 1 HMS Antrim & HMS Glamorgan
800 NAS Sea Harrier FRS.1 12 2 HMS Hermes. RAF personnel attached.[2]
801 NAS Sea Harrier FRS.1 8 4 HMS Invincible. RAF personnel attached.[3]
809 NAS Sea Harrier FRS.1 8 HMS Hermes & Invincible
815 NAS Lynx HAS.2 and HAS.3 7/7 3 Type 42 destroyers, Type 21 and Type 22 frigates
820 NAS Sea King HAS.5 9 HMS Invincible
824 NAS Sea King HAS.2/2A 3/2 RFA Fort Rosalie & Olmeda
825 NAS Sea King HAS.2 10 SS Atlantic Causeway & RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
826 NAS Sea King HAS.5 12 2 HMS Hermes
829 NAS (Wasp HAS.1) 9 (HMS Endurance, HMS Bristol, Leander-class & Type 12 frigates)
845 NAS Wessex HU.5 15 2 RFA Tidespring, Tidepool, Fort Austin & Port San Carlos
846 NAS Sea King HC.4 15 3 HMS Hermes, Fearless class, SS Canberra, Elk & Norland
847 NAS Wessex HU.5 24 SS Atlantic Causeway, RFA Engadine & Port San Carlos
848 NAS Wessex HU.5 15 6 (HMS Endurance, RFA Olna, SS Atlantic Conveyor & Astronomer)

Royal Air Force

All four-engined aircraft operated from Wideawake Airfield, Ascension Island, but flew in the war zone.

Armament

Air campaign

Sea Harrier FRS.1 1,435 sorties,[8] 20 (+3) kills, 6 lost.
Harrier GR.3 126 sorties, 4 lost.
Vulcan B.2 5 sorties: 1, 3 May and 12 June; 21x1,000 lbs bombs – 31 May and 3 June; 4[9] x AGM-45 Shrike.
Victor K.2 375 sorties; 14 sorties per Vulcan raid, 12 sorties per extended Nimrod patrol, 6 sorties per Hercules long-range drop, 6 sorties per Harrier GR.3 staging (4), 3 radar reconnaissance sorties to South Georgia.
Nimrod MR.2 111 sorties: maritime patrols, coordinate air refueling, SAR links.
Hercules C.1 50+ airdrop sorties at Falklands Island, 600+ airbridge sorties UK-Ascension Island

Casualties and aircraft losses

10 fixed-wing aircraft and 25 helicopters.

References

  1. Nott, John "The Falklands Campaign" United States Naval Institute Proceedings May 1983 p.122
  2. "Sea Harrier Pilot Wins DSC". Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  3. "e.g. Flight Lieutenant Ian Mortimer". Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2007.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "RAF – Page not found". Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2014. Cite uses generic title (help)
  6. "F-16 Armament – AIM-9 Sidewinder". Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  7. Battle for the Falklands (3): Air Forces. Bloomsbury USA. 18 November 1982. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-85045-493-2.
  8. "Falklands Air War". Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2007.
  9. "armed with four Shrikes for another attack against the Falklands." page 67 in Peter R. March: The Vulcan Story, 2006, Sutton Publishing/'Vulcan to the Sky' trust, ISBN 0-7509-4399-8
  10. 1982 British Army Gazelle friendly fire incident: Gazelle shot down by friendly Sea Dart missile from HMS Cardiff on 6 June. All four onboard killed, two from 656 Squadron, Army Air Corps and two from 205 Signal Squadron, Royal Corps of Signals
  11. Archived 5 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine Probable bird strike to transport helicopter operating between Intrepid and Hermes on 20 May
  12. Ethell, Jeffrey and Price, Alfred Air War South Atlantic Macmillan Publishing Company (1983) pp.248–251 ISBN 0-02-536300-X
  13. Archived 5 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine (2 Gazelles shot down by Argentine army forces small arms leaving San Carlos area on 21 May)
  14. 25 May aboard Atlantic Conveyor
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