No. 72 Squadron RAF
| No. 72 (Fighter) Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
| Active | 28 June 1917 – 1 April 1918 (RFC) 1 April 1918 – 22 Sept 1919 (RAF) 22 Feb 1937 – 30 December 1946 1 February 1947 – 30 June 1961 15 November 1961 – 1 April 2002 12 July 2002 – 31 October 2019 28 November 2019 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying training squadron |
| Role | Advanced flying training |
| Part of | No. 4 Flying Training School RAF |
| Home station | RAF Valley |
| Nickname(s) | 'Basutoland' |
| Motto(s) | Swift |
| Aircraft | Beechcraft Texan T1 |
| Battle honours |
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| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge heraldry | A swift volant, intended to symbolise speed. |
| Post 1950 squadron insignia | |
| Squadron codes | RN (Oct 1938 – Apr 1939) SD (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) RN (Sep 1939 – Dec 1946) FG (Jan 1947 – Apr 1951) AA–AZ (Wessex) |
Number 72 (Fighter) Squadron of the Royal Air Force is a training squadron that is currently based at RAF Valley using the Beechcraft Texan T1 to deliver Basic Fast Jet Training (BFJT).
No. 72 Squadron started life in 1917 supporting the British Army during World War I on operations in the Middle East, being disbanded in 1919. It was reformed in 1937, initially with Gloster Gladiator biplane fighters, moving on to fly Supermarine Spitfires during the Battle of Britain. For the remainder of World War II it served in a variety of theatres, ending up disbanded in Austria in 1946.
Reformed again in 1947, it was equipped with de Havilland Vampire jet fighters, moving on to the Gloster Meteor, and then the Gloster Javelin, flying these until 1961. After the jets, it moved to RAF Odiham and from 1961 until 1 April 2002 the squadron flew helicopters in the transport role. In 2002 it assumed its current role as a training unit, initially based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse using the Short Tucano T.1, before moving to RAF Valley and the Texan trainer.
The squadron nickname, "Basutoland", is derived from the fact that during both world wars, the Basutoland Protectorate, now Lesotho, donated aircraft to RAF, which were assigned to No. 72 Squadron.