Royal Navy - Fleet Air Arm

British naval flying began in 1909, with the construction of an airship for naval duties. In May 1912 navy and army aviation were combined to become the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The Naval Wing of the RFC lasted until July 1914 when the Royal Navy reformed its air branch, under the Air Department of the Admiralty, naming it the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).
On the 1st April 1918 the RFC and RNAS merged to become the Royal Air Force.

British naval aviation as it is today traces it's roots to 1924 with the formation of The Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force. This was a unit of the Royal Air Force, which was then operating the aircraft embarked on Royal Navy ships.
During the Second World War the Fleet Air Arm operated aircraft both on ships and land defending the Royal Navy's shore establishments and facilities.
Previously operating both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, the FAA have played major rolls in conflicts such as World War II, Korean War, Operation Musketeer (Suez Crisis), Falklands War, Gulf War and Afghanistan.

• Fleet Air Arm

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