List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm
This is a list of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA).

Fleet Air Arm Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber
On 1 April 1918 the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was merged with the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to form the Royal Air Force (RAF) which directly operated and controlled all naval aircraft. On 1 April 1924 the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force was created as a distinct component of the RAF, which existed until 24 May 1939 when command of the Fleet Air Arm was transferred back to Royal Navy control. Coastal Command patrol aircraft, including most large seaplanes, remained with the RAF despite their operations in a naval environment. Prototypes were largely under the control of the Air Ministry and not the Fleet Air Arm until their introduction into service.
Aircraft
Acronyms in table
- ASW; Anti-submarine warfare
- AEW; Airborne Early Warning
- ECM; Electronic counter measures
- EW; Electronic Warfare aircraft
Model (listed by model name) | Role | Origin | In service | Withdrawn | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fairey IIID & F | Spotter/target tug | UK | 1918 | 1940 | |
Avro 652 | Transport | UK | 1941 | 1942 | 2 impressed airliners |
Fairey Albacore | Torpedo/dive bomber | UK | 1940 | 1943 | |
Avro Anson | Trainer/Communications | UK | 1942 | 1955 | |
Supermarine Attacker | Fighter/fighter-bomber | UK | 1951 | 1957 | |
Hawker Audax | Trainer | UK | 1941 | 1945 | 4 ex-RAF |
Grumman Avenger/Tarpon | Torpedo bomber/ASW/EW | US | 1943 | 1962 | Lend-lease and MDAP |
British Aerospace BAe 125 | VIP transport | UK | ? | n/a | |
Blackburn Baffin | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1934 | 1946 | |
Martin Baltimore | Medium bomber | US | 1944 | 1946 | 14 ex-RAF |
Fairey Barracuda | Torpedo/dive bomber | UK | 1943 | 1953 | 2,607 built |
Fairey Battle | Trainer | UK | 1939 | 1944 | 3 ex-RAF |
Bristol Beaufighter | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1943 | 1946 | |
Bristol Beaufort | Torpedo bomber/trainer | UK | 1943 | 1946 | |
Avro Bison | Spotter | UK | 1922 | 1929 | |
Brewster Bermuda | Dive bomber | US | 1942 | 1943 | 5 for evaluation only |
Blackburn Blackburn | Spotter | UK | 1923 | 1931 | |
Bristol Blenheim | Trainer | UK | 1941 | 1944 | ex-RAF |
Douglas Boston | Medium bomber | US | 1943 | 1945 | ex-RAF |
Blackburn Buccaneer | Strike | UK | 1962 | 1978 | |
Brewster Buffalo | Fighter | US | 1940 | 1941 | ex-Belgian |
English Electric Canberra | Trainer/target tug/drone | UK | 1950s | 1992 | |
Vought-Sikorsky Chesapeake | Torpedo bomber/trainer | US | 1941 | 1944 | |
De Havilland Chipmunk | Trainer | UK | 1965 | ? | ex-RAF |
Curtiss Cleveland | Dive bomber | US | 1940 | 1940 | 1 for evaluation only |
Vought Corsair | Fighter | US | 1943 | 1947 | Lend-lease |
Douglas Dakota | Transport | US | 1944 | 1946 | 3 aircraft |
Blackburn Dart | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1922 | 1935 | 117 aircraft |
Douglas Dauntless | Dive bomber | US | 1944 | 1946 | 9 evaluated but not used |
Eurocopter AS.365N-2 Dauphin 2 | Trainer helicopter | France | 1999 | n/a | |
Boulton Paul Defiant | Target tug | UK | 1943 | 1946 | 295 aircraft |
De Havilland DH.86 | Transport/trainer | UK | 1940 | 1945 | 6 impressed/ex-RAF |
De Havilland Dominie | Trainer/transport | UK | 1940 | 1963 | Some impressed |
Westland Dragonfly | Air-sea rescue helicopter | UK | 1951 | 1960 | 72 aircraft |
Airspeed Envoy | Transport/trainer | UK | 1941 | 1941 | 1 ex-RAF |
Beechcraft Expeditor/Navigator | Transport | US | 1943 | 1954 | Lend-lease |
Miles Falcon Six | Communications | UK | 1940 | 1941 | 1 impressed |
Blackburn Firebrand | Torpedo-fighter | UK | 1944 | 1956 | |
Fairey Firefly | Fighter/night fighter/ASW/trainer | UK | 1943 | 1956 | 1702 aircraft |
De Havilland Flamingo | Transport | UK | 1940 | 1946 | 2 impressed |
Fairey Flycatcher | Fighter | UK | 1923 | 1934 | |
De Havilland Fox Moth | Communications | UK | 1941 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
Fairey Fulmar | Fighter/night fighter | UK | 1940 | 1945 | 600 aircraft |
Fairey Gannet & Gannet AEW.3 | ASW/AEW/transport/EW/trainer | UK | 1954 | 1979 | 342 including 44 AEW |
Westland Gazelle | Trainer/utility helicopter | UK | 1974 | 2010 | 40 aircraft |
De Havilland Gipsy Moth | Trainer | UK | 1940 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
Gloster Gladiator | Fighter | UK | 1938 | 1945 | |
Grumman Goose | Transport | US | 1942 | 1946 | Lend-lease |
British Aerospace Harrier II | Strike | UK | 2006 | 2011 | |
Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow | Transport | UK | 1942 | 1943 | 9 ex-RAF |
Hawker Hart/Hart Trainer | Trainer | UK | 1939 | 1942 | 8 ex-RAF |
North American Harvard | Trainer | US | 1943 | 1955 | |
Douglas Havoc | Medium Bomber | US | 1941 | 1943 | 9 ex-RAF |
Hawker Siddeley Hawk | Trainer | UK | 1994 | n/a | |
Grumman Hellcat/Gannet | Fighter/night fighter | US | 1943 | 1946 | 1, 182 aircraft |
Curtiss Helldiver | Dive bomber | US | 1943 | 1945 | Lend-lease 26 for evaluation |
Hawker Henley | Target tug | UK | 1939 | 1944 | 7 ex-RAF |
De Havilland Hornet Moth | Communications | UK | 1939 | 1945 | 1 impressed & 4 from Canada |
Vought-Sikorsky Hoverfly I | Training/rescue/utility helicopter | US | 1944 | 1948? | 24 aircraft |
Vought-Sikorsky Hoverfly II | training/deck landing evaluation/liaison helicopter | US | 1945 | 1950s | |
Hiller HT | Trainer/communications | US | 1963 | 1975 | |
Lockheed Hudson | Transport | US | 1944 | 1945 | 4 ex-RAF |
Hawker Hunter | Trainer/drone | UK | ? | 1994 | |
Hawker Hurricane | Fighter | UK | 1941 | 1945 | |
BAe Jetstream | Trainer | UK | 1979 | 2011 | 16 ex-RAF |
Beechcraft Super King Air Avenger | Trainer | US | 2011 | n/a | |
Vought Kingfisher | Reconnaissance | US | 1942 | 1943 | Lend-lease |
Avro Lancaster | Heavy bomber | UK | 1945 | 1947 | 3 ex-RAF |
De Havilland Leopard Moth | ? | UK | 1940 | 1946 | 2 impressed |
Lockheed Martin Lightning | Fighter | US | 2023 | n/a | 809 Naval Air Squadron |
Westland Lynx | ASW/air-sea rescue/transport helicopter | UK | 1976 | n/a | |
Westland Lysander | Target tug | UK | 1940 | 1944 | 67 ex-RAF |
Miles Magister | Trainer | UK | 1937 | 1945 | |
Miles Martinet | Target tug | UK | 1943 | 1947 | |
Martin Maryland | Medium bomber/target tug | US | 1940 | 1944 | 7 ex-RAF |
Miles Master | Trainer | UK | 1940 | 1948 | |
Westland Merlin | ASW/Transport | UK | 2000 | n/a | |
Gloster Meteor | Trainer/target tug | UK | 1940s | 1960s? | |
North American Mitchell | Medium bomber | US | 1943 | 1943 | 1 for evaluation only |
Miles Monitor | Target tug | UK | 1945 | 1955 | ex-RAF |
De Havilland Mosquito | various | UK | 1944 | ? | |
De Havilland DH.60M Moth | Trainer | UK | 1939 | 1943 | 6 impressed/ex-RAF |
Gloster Nightjar | Fighter | UK | 1920 | 1924 | |
Hawker Nimrod | Fighter/utility | UK | 1932 | 1942 | |
Hawker Osprey | Fighter/reconnaissance | UK | 1931 | 1940 | |
Airspeed Oxford | Trainer | UK | 1942 | 1954 | ex-RAF |
Bellanca Pacemaker | Communications | US | 1939 | 1940 | 1 impressed |
Parnall Panther | Spotter | UK | 1919 | 1926 | |
Parnall Peto | Submarine-borne reconnaissance | UK | 1926 | 1932 | |
Percival Petrel | Transport | UK | 1939 | 1944 | 4 impressed/ex-RAF |
McDonnell Douglas Phantom | Fighter/ground attack | US | 1968 | 1978 | |
Parnall Plover | Fighter | UK | 1923 | 1924 | Operational evaluation |
Percival Proctor | Trainer | UK | 1939 | ? | |
De Havilland Puss Moth | Communications | UK | 1940 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
De Havilland Queen Bee | Target drone | UK | 1941 | 1946 | 5 examples |
Miles Queen Martinet | Target drone | UK | 1945 | 1946 | 3 examples |
Stinson Reliant | Trainer/communications | US | 1944 | 1946 | Lend-lease |
Blackburn Ripon | Torpedo bomber/reconnaissance | UK | 1929 | 1935 | |
Blackburn Roc | Fighter | UK | 1938 | 1943 | |
Supermarine Scimitar | Fighter/tanker | UK | 1957 | 1970 | |
Boulton Paul Sea Balliol | Trainer | UK | 1952 | 1963 | |
De Havilland Sea Devon | Transport | UK | 1955 | 1981 | |
Hawker Sea Fury | Fighter | UK | 1947 | 1962 | |
Gloster Sea Gladiator | Fighter/communications | UK | 1939 | 1945 | |
British Aerospace Sea Harrier | Fighter/reconnaissance/ground attack/trainer | UK | 1979 | 2006 | |
Hawker Sea Hawk | Fighter/fighter-bomber/ground attack | UK | 1953 | 1969 | |
de Havilland Sea Heron | Transport | UK | 1961 | 1981 | Bought second hand |
de Havilland Sea Hornet | Fighter/night-fighter/reconnaissance | UK | 1947 | 1954 | 198 aircraft |
Hawker Sea Hurricane | Fighter | UK | 1941 | 1944 | |
Westland Sea King | ASW/AEW/air-sea rescue/transport | UK | 1969 | n/a | |
De Havilland Sea Mosquito | Strike/target tug | UK | 1946 | 1950s | |
Supermarine Sea Otter | Air-sea rescue/reconnaissance/spotting | UK | 1944 | 1950 | |
Hunting Sea Prince | Trainer/transport | UK | 1953 | 1978 | |
de Havilland Sea Vampire | Fighter/trainer | UK | 1948 | 1968 | |
de Havilland Sea Venom | Fighter/electronic countermeasures | UK | 1954 | 1961 | |
de Havilland Sea Vixen | Fighter | UK | 1958 | 1972 | |
Supermarine Seafire | Fighter/reconnaissance | UK | 1942 | 1954 | |
Fairey Seafox | Spotting/reconnaissance | UK | 1937 | 1943 | |
Fairey Seal | Spotter/reconnaissance | UK | 1933 | 1943 | |
Curtiss Seamew | Reconnaissance | US | 1944 | 1945 | Never used operationally |
Short Seamew | ASW | UK | 1956 | 1957 | Evaluation only |
Blackburn Shark | Torpedo bomber/target tug | UK | 1934 | 1944 | |
Blackburn Skua | Fighter/dive bomber/target tug | UK | 1938 | 1941 | |
Douglas Skyraider | Airborne Early Warning | US | 1951 | 1960 | |
Supermarine Spitfire | Fighter | UK | 1942 | 1945 | |
Short Sturgeon | Target tug | UK | 1951 | 1959 | |
Fairey Swordfish | Torpedo bomber | UK | 1936 | 1946 | |
Grumman Tigercat | Fighter | US | 1944 | 1945 | 2 for evaluation only |
De Havilland Tiger Moth | Trainer/communications | UK | 1939 | 1965 | 113 ex-RAF |
Beech Traveller | Communications | US | 1944 | 1946 | Lend-lease |
Avro Tutor | Trainer | UK | 1937 | 1942 | |
Grob G 115 Tutor | Trainer | Germany | 2000s | n/a | |
Hawker Typhoon | Fighter/ground attack | UK | 1943 | 1943 | 1 for evaluation only |
de Havilland Vampire | Fighter/fighter-bomber | UK | 1948 | 1950s | |
Percival Vega Gull | Communications | UK | 1939 | 1945 | 7 impressed |
Vultee Vengeance | Dive bomber/target tug | US | 1944 | 1947 | Lend-lease |
Lockheed Ventura | Medium bomber | US | 1942 | 1942 | 1 for evaluation only |
Supermarine Walrus | Spotter/air-sea rescue/ | UK | 1936 | 1946 | |
Westland Walrus | Spotter/reconnaissance | UK | 1921 | 1925 | |
Westland Wasp | ASW | UK | 1963 | 1980 | |
Vickers Wellington | Trainer/transport | UK | 1942 | 1946 | Ex-RAF |
Westland Wessex | ASW/air-sea rescue/transport | UK | 1961 | 1983 | |
Sikorsky Whirlwind | ASW/transport/air-sea rescue | US | 1952 | 1969 | MDAP |
Westland Whirlwind | ASW/air-sea rescue/transport | UK | 1956 | 1977 | |
Miles Whitney Straight | Communications | UK | 1940 | 1943 | 1 impressed |
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley | Trainer/transport | UK | 1942 | 1947 | |
Grumman Widgeon | Transport | US | 1943 | 1946 | |
AgustaWestland Wildcat | Attack | UK | 2015 | n/a | 28 ordered |
Grumman Wildcat/Martlet | Fighter | US | 1940 | 1944 | 992 of various marks Lend-lease |
Westland Wyvern | Torpedo/strike | UK | 1953 | 1958 | 127 including 10 two-seat trainers |
Supermarine Seafang | Fighter | UK | 1946 | Evaluation only |
Helicopters to support the Royal Marines
Airships and balloons
UAVs and drones
Gliders
- Akaflieg München Mü13 - One former Luftwaffe (1945–1957)
- DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter - Three (1947–1952)
- Eliotts Olympia I - One (1946–1955)
- DFS Kranich I - One (1946–1960)
- DFS Kranich II - One (1946–1953)
- Schneider Grunau Baby - Six (1946–1952)
- Slingsby Cadet - One (1946–1949)
- Slingsby Prefect - One (1953–1956)
Weapons of the Fleet Air Arm
Air-to-air missiles
- AMRAAM: Medium-range air-to-air missile - Carried by the Sea Harrier.
- Firestreak: Air-to-air missile - Carried by the Sea Venom and Sea Vixen (retired).
- Red Top: Air-to-air missile - Carried by the Sea Vixen (retired).
- Sidewinder: Short-range air-to-air missiles - Carried by the Buccaneer. Phantom, Scimitar and Sea Harrier.
- Sparrow: Medium-range air-to-air missile - Carried by the Phantom
Air-to-surface missiles
- AS.11: air-to-surface anti-tank, anti-ship missile. Carried by the Wessex and Wasp helicopter (retired).
- AS.12: Air-to-surface anti-ship missile. Carried by the Wasp and Wessex helicopters (retired).
- Bullpup: Air-to-surface missile - Carried by the Scimitar and Sea Vixen (retired).
- Lightweight Multirole Missile
- Martel - Carried by the Buccaneer and Sea Harrier.
- Sea Eagle: Anti-ship missile, carried by the Buccaneer and Sea Harrier.
- Sea Skua: Anti-ship missile, normally carried by the Lynx.
- Sea Venom: Anti-ship missile, on order for use on the Wildcat.
Nuclear weapons 1950 to 2000
- Red Beard nuclear bomb - Carried by the Buccaneer, Scimitar and Sea Vixen.
- WE.177 nuclear bomb - Carried by the Buccaneer, Sea Harrier and Sea Vixen.
- WE.177 nuclear depth charge - Carried by the Westland Lynx, Wasp and Wessex helicopters.
Unguided rockets
Torpedoes
- 18" Mark 30 torpedo - Carried by the Fairey Gannet and Westland Whirlwind helicopter.
- British 18 inch torpedo - Carried by the Blackburn Firebrand.
- Mark 24 mine
- Mark 43 torpedo
- Mark 44 torpedo - Carried by the Westland Sea king, Wasp, Wessex and Whirlwind helicopters.
- Mark 46 torpedo - Carried by the Westland Lynx, Sea King, Wasp, Wessex and Whirlwind helicopters.
- Sting Ray torpedo - Carried by the Westland Lynx and Sea King helicopters.
Free fall bombs
See also
External links
![]() |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm. |
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.