No. 202 Squadron RAF

No. 202 Squadron was formed -along with the entire RAF- on 1 April 1918 by renumbering No. 2 Squadron RNAS.[11] It was originally formed as one of the first aeroplane squadrons of the RNAS on 17 October 1914.[2][12] It served on the Western Front during the First World War, carrying out reconnaissance and bombing missions from bases in Belgium and France before being disbanded on 22 January 1920.[3][12]

No. 202 was reformed for a brief existence as fleet co-operation unit between 9 Apr 1920 and 16 May 1921[2] and some eight years later the squadron came to live again when No. 481 Flight, operating the Fairey III floatplane at Malta was re-numbered as 202 Squadron in 1929, continuing to fly patrols over the Mediterranean Sea throughout the 1930s, being re-equipped with Supermarine Scapa flying boats in 1935.[3][13]

During the Second World War, 202 Squadron flew anti-submarine patrols from RAF Gibraltar with Saro London, Consolidated Catalina and Short Sunderland flying boats and some Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers until 1944, when it moved with their Catalinas to RAF Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland, disbanding there on 12 June 1945.[3][13]

Handley Page Hastings Met Mk.1 of 202 Squadron wearing Coastal Command camouflage at Manchester Airport in 1954

202 Squadron reformed by renumbering 518 Squadron[1] as a Weather Reconnaissance squadron at RAF Aldergrove near Belfast on 1 October 1946, flying converted Handley Page Halifax GR.6 & A.9 bombers on long range meteorological flights over the North Atlantic (codenamed "Bismuth"). It re-equipped with the more modern Handley Page Hastings Met.1 from November 1950, continuing in this role until disbanding on 31 July 1964.[3][14]

Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 of 202 Squadron at RAF Coltishall in 1971

No. 202 Squadron was reformed on 1 September 1964[3] by the renumbering of No. 228 Squadron RAF at RAF Leconfield. The squadron began operating in its search and rescue role using the Westland Whirlwind HAR.10 helicopter with flights at RAF Acklington, RAF Ouston, RAF Coltishall and RAF Leuchars. The squadron moved to RAF Finningley during September 1976 with flights at RAF Boulmer, RAF Leconfield, RAF Coltishall, RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Brawdy. The squadron re-equipped with Westland Sea King HAR.3s from July 1978 (operating the Westland Wessex HAR.2 as an intermediate type while its Sea Kings were sent to the Falklands War),[15] moving its HQ to RAF Boulmer on the closure of Finningley in 1989, and then to RAF Valley during April 2008.[11]

The primary role of RAF search and rescue is the recovery of downed military aviators, but in peacetime, its aircraft are available all year round for use in civilian distress incidents. Since 1973, over 95% of the rescues carried out by 202 Squadron have been civilian incidents. The rescues carried out over the years by 202 Squadron have included a wide variety of incidents involving rescuing casualties from aircraft, fishing trawlers, ferries, oil rigs, mountainous terrain, cliffs and the waters surrounding Scotland.[16]

The squadron usually had two aircraft at each of its detached flight locations:

• HQ – RAF Valley
• 'A' Flight – RAF Boulmer (ceased October 2015)[17]
• 'D' Flight – RAF Lossiemouth (ceased April 2015)[18]
• 'E' Flight – RAF Leconfield[19] (ceased March 2015)[20]

Westland Sea King helicopter of 'E' flight, No. 202 Squadron RAF at the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II on 4 June 2012 at the Humber Bridge, Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire.

In 2006 the Labour government announced its intentions to privatise the search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service in the UK. A ten-year contract worth £1.6 billon was signed in March 2013 with Bristow Helicopters who would run the service from 2015 with new AgustaWestland AW189 and Sikorsky S-92 helicopters. SAR helicopter operations ceased in staged handovers from March through September 2015.[21]

No. 202 Squadron was reformed in May 2016 as the maritime and mountains training element of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Valley in Anglesey and operating the Griffin helicopter.[10] After a brief pause in operations in January 2018, 202 Squadron was again reformed in March 2018 as the 'maritime and mountains' training Squadron of the Defence Helicopter Flying School (a UK MFTS venture) and re-equipped with the Jupiter HT1 (a bespoke variant of the Airbus H145).[22]