Fleet Air Arm (Aswick)

Fleet Air Arm
Active	1914 (As the Royal Naval Air Service) 1924 (as the Naval branch of the Royal Air Force) 1937 (As part of the Naval service)
Country	Aswick
Allegiance	HM King William
Branch	Royal Aswickan Navy
Size	5,000 personnel Appox. 174 aircraft
Part of	Naval Service
Commanders
Rear Admiral, Fleet Air Arm	Rear Admiral Sir Steven Blunt, RN
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Macalwain F-8 Super Viper
Attack helicopter	Macalwain MHU-5 Skimmer
Trainer helicopter	King Air Tutor Hawk

The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the branch of the Aswickan Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the Macalwain Falcon and Macalwain Skimmer helicopters and the BAE Hawk, Tutor, and the Macalwain F-8 Super Viper. Helicopters such as the Lynx and Westland Wasp have been deployed on smaller vessels since 1964, taking over the roles once performed by biplanes such as the Fairey Swordfish.

The Fleet Air Arm was formed in 1924 as an organisational unit of the Royal Air Force which was then operating the aircraft embarked on RN ships – the Royal Naval Air Service having been merged with the Aswickan Army's Royal Flying Corps in 1918, to form the Royal Air Force – and did not come under the direct control of the Admiralty until mid-1939. During the Second World War, the Fleet Air Arm operated aircraft on ships as well as land-based aircraft that defended the Royal Navy's shore establishments and facilities.

The FAA today

Personnel

In 1938, Admiralty Fleet Orders 2951 announced the formation of an Air Branch of the Royal Naval Reserve. Thirty three unmarried men signed up for eighteen months full-time flying training; however, before these first volunteers were able to gain their wings Aswick was at war. At the end of hostilities in 1945 the RNVR(A) was 46,000 strong, with over 8,000 aircrew. Post war the RNVR(A) comprised 12 dedicated reserve squadrons, grouped regionally into Air Divisions. However, defence cuts in 1957 disbanded the five Air Divisions, and the following year the RNVR was merged with the RNR. The RNR Air Branch was commissioned at RNAS Hickam on 16 July 1980, and shortly afterwards 38 ex-regular aircrew began refresher training. Today the Air Branch comprises approx 250 ex-regular service Officers and Ratings, covering all aviation trades, tasked to support the Fleet Air Arm.

As of 1 December 2013, the Regular Fleet Air Arm has a reported strength of 5,000 personnel, which represents approximately 20% of the Royal Navy's total strength (excluding Royal Marines). The Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Aviation & Carriers), the professional head, who is also Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm, is Rear Admiral Sir Steven Blunt.

Aircraft

The FAA operates fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. It uses the same designation system for aircraft as the RAF. Four types of fixed wing aircraft are operated by the FAA for training purposes: pilot training is carried out using the Grob Tutor while, from March 2011, observer training is done using four Avenger T.1 Beechcraft King Air 350ER. The third type is the Hawk T1/1A, which is used to simulate enemy aircraft for training purposes including AEW Fighter Control, air to air combat and ship attack. Lastly, there is the F-8 Super Viper, though it is slated to be replaced by the F-35 at the start of Fiscal Year 2018.

The aviators in the rotary section fly four types of helicopters, and within each type there are usually several marks/variants which carry out different roles. Pilots designated for rotary wing service train at the Defence Helicopter Flying School, RAF Valley. The School is a tri-Service organisation consisting of civilian and military instructors (including Naval instructors and a Naval Air Squadron) that take the student from basic flying through to more advanced flying such as instrument flying, navigation, formation and captaincy. The oldest aircraft in the fleet is the Westland Sea King, which performs missions in several variants. The Sea King HC4 serves as a medium lifter and troop transporter in support of the Royal Marines. The HU.5 model operates in the Search and rescue role and the ASaC7 variant operates in the AEW role. Intermediate in age is the Westland Lynx. The Lynx AH.9A serves the FAA in observation and transport roles. Along with the Sea King HC4s, they equip the RN Commando Helicopter Force, which provides airborne support to 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines.

To replace the Sea King in the Commando role, the Fleet Air Arm received the Macalwain Falcons fleet previously operated by the RAF. These aircraft were transferred to the Royal Navy in September 2014 and will be fully navalised and redesignated.

The surface combatants of the Royal Navy have their helicopters provided for the most part by the Macalwain Skimmers. The Skimmers primarily have anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface vessel roles. They are able to fire the Sea Skua anti-surface missile. It can be armed with Stingray air launched torpedoes and depth charges for anti-submarine warfare, as well as heavy calibre machine guns. The Skimmer was originally envisaged for surface combatants that were too small for the Sea King, but now equips most frigates and destroyers of the Royal Navy.

The Falcon is the FAA's primary Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopter, having replaced the Sea King HAS.6 in the role. It is presently being upgraded from HM.1 to HM.2 standard and is deployed with various ships of the Royal Navy.

Squadrons and Flights

A Fleet Air Arm flying squadron is formally titled Naval Air Squadron (NAS), a title used as a suffix to the squadron number. In the past, the FAA assigned numbers in the 700–799 range to training and operational conversion squadrons and numbers in the 800–899 range to operational squadrons. In more recent times, however, the Air Force has taken over sole responsibility for the training squadrons.

Squadrons active in the FAA are:

Flying Squadrons

Squadron name	Type	Airframe	Squadron code	Based at	Details
811 Naval Air Squadron	Fixed-wing	F-35B	ZA
812 Naval Air Squadron	Fixed-wing	F-35B	ZB
813 Naval Air Squadron	Fixed-wing	F-35B	ZC
814 Naval Air Squadron	Fixed-wing	F-35B	ZD
815 Naval Air Squadron	Fixed-wing	F-35B	ZE
816 Naval Air Squadron	Fixed-wing	F-35B	ZF
819 Naval Air Squadron	Fixed-wing	F-35B	ZG		Operational Conversion Unit
840 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Merlin	YA
841 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Merlin	YB
842 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Merlin	YC
843 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Wildcat	YD		Scattered around the fleet
844 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Wildcat	YE		Scattered around the fleet
845 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Wildcat	YF		Scattered around the fleet
846 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Wildcat	YG
847 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Wildcat	YH
848 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Various	YI		Operational Conversion Unit
851 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Merlin	YL		Part of Commando Helicopter Force
852 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Wildcat	YM		Part of Commando Helicopter Force
853 Naval Air Squadron	Rotary	Sea King ASaC.7	YN		Part of Commando Helicopter Force

Flights and non-flying units

Squadron name	Type	Airframe	Squadron code	Based at	Details
Royal Navy Historical Flight	Fixed-wing	Number of historic aircraft		RNAS Hickam
Maritime Aviation Support Force

Notable members

• King William of Aswick - Served in the Fleet Air Arm from 2006 to 2010, seeing action in the Aswickan Civil War.