British air services in the Falklands War facts for kids
The Falklands War was a short conflict in 1982 between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. This article focuses on the British air forces that took part in the war. These forces included planes and helicopters from the Army, Royal Marines, Navy, and Royal Air Force. They played a very important role in helping the British forces on the ground and at sea. The numbers in bold show how many aircraft were used, and the numbers in (brackets) show how many were lost.
Contents
British Air Units in the Falklands War
Army Air Corps
The Army Air Corps used helicopters to support soldiers on the ground.
- No. 656 Squadron Army Air Corps used Gazelle AH.1 and Scout AH.1 helicopters. They had 6 Gazelles (1 was lost) and 6 Scouts.
Royal Marines
The Royal Marines also had their own air squadron to help their commando brigades.
- 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron used Gazelle AH.1 and Scout AH.1 helicopters. They had 9 Gazelles (2 were lost) and 6 Scouts (1 was lost).
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the Navy's air branch. They operated from aircraft carriers and other ships.
- Sea Harrier FRS.1: These powerful jet fighters were used by 800 NAS (12 used, 2 lost), 801 NAS (8 used, 4 lost), and 809 NAS (8 used). They flew from HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible.
- Westland Wessex: These versatile helicopters were used for various tasks.
- 737 NAS used Wessex HAS.3 (2 used, 1 lost) for anti-submarine warfare.
- 845 NAS (15 used, 2 lost), 847 NAS (24 used), and 848 NAS (15 used, 6 lost) used Wessex HU.5 for troop transport and support.
- Westland Sea King: These large helicopters were crucial for transport and anti-submarine duties.
- Westland Lynx: 815 NAS used Lynx HAS.2 and HAS.3 helicopters (14 used, 3 lost) from various destroyers and frigates.
- Westland Wasp: 829 NAS used Wasp HAS.1 helicopters (9 used) from smaller ships.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) provided long-range support and ground attack aircraft. Most of their four-engined planes flew from Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island, which is far from the Falklands.
- No. 1(F) Squadron used Harrier GR.3 jets (10 used, 4 lost) for ground attacks.
- No. 18 Squadron used Chinook HC.1 heavy-lift helicopters (4 used, 3 lost).
- No. 29 Squadron had Phantom FGR.2 jets (3 used) at Wideawake Airfield for air defense.
- No. 39 Squadron used Canberra PR.9 reconnaissance planes (2 used) for secret missions.
- Nimrod: No. 42 Squadron, No. 51 Squadron, No. 120 Squadron, No. 201 Squadron, and No. 206 Squadron used Nimrod MR.2 and R.1 planes (total 16 used) for maritime patrols and electronic intelligence.
- Vulcan: No. 44 Squadron, No. 50 Squadron, and No. 101 Squadron used Vulcan B.2 bombers (total 4 used) for long-range bombing missions.
- Hercules: No. 47 Squadron and No. 70 Squadron used Hercules C.1 transport planes (total 6 used) for air drops and moving supplies.
- Victor: No. 55 Squadron and No. 57 Squadron used Victor K.2 tanker planes (total 20 used) to refuel other aircraft in the air.
- No. 202 Squadron had one Sea King HAR.3 helicopter at Wideawake.
- No. 10 Squadron used VC10 C.1 transport planes (14 used) for moving people and cargo.
Aircraft Weapons
British aircraft carried various weapons to fight in the air, attack targets on the ground, and protect ships.
- Machine Guns and Cannons:
- L44A1 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun)
- 30 mm ADEN Cannon (used on Sea Harrier and Harrier GR.3)
- Air-to-Air Missiles: Used to shoot down enemy aircraft.
- AIM-9D/G Sidewinder (on F-4 Phantoms)
- AIM-9L Sidewinder (on Sea Harrier and Harrier GR.3)
- Air-to-Surface Missiles: Used to attack targets on the ground or at sea.
- AGM-45 Shrike Anti-radiation missile (ARM) (on Vulcan bombers, used to target enemy radar)
- BAe Sea Skua anti-ship missile (on Lynx helicopters)
- Aerospatiale AS.12 missile (on Wasp helicopters)
- Bombs and Rockets:
- Paveway II Laser-guided bomb (LGB), 454 kg (on Harrier GR.3)
- BL755 Cluster bomb (on Sea Harrier and Nimrod)
- 1,000 lb General-Purpose Bomb (on Sea Harrier, Harrier GR.3, Vulcan, and Nimrod)
- SNEB Rockets (on Harrier GR.3 and Gazelle)
- Torpedoes and Depth Charges: Used against submarines.
- Marconi Stingray Torpedo
- Mk. 46 Torpedo
- Mk. 11 Depth charge
Air Campaign Highlights
British aircraft flew many missions during the war.
- Sea Harrier FRS.1: Flew 1,435 missions, shot down 20 (plus 3 possible) enemy aircraft, and 6 were lost.
- Harrier GR.3: Flew 126 missions, and 4 were lost.
- Vulcan B.2: Flew 5 long-range bombing missions, dropping bombs and anti-radiation missiles. These missions were called Operation Black Buck.
- Victor K.2: Flew 375 missions, mainly for air-to-air refueling, which was essential for the long-distance flights of other aircraft.
- Nimrod MR.2: Flew 111 missions for maritime patrols, coordinating air refueling, and search and rescue.
- Hercules C.1: Flew over 50 air-drop missions to the Falkland Islands and over 600 transport flights between the UK and Ascension Island.
Casualties and Aircraft Losses
Sadly, some brave service members and aircraft were lost during the conflict.
Human Losses
- 2 from the Army Air Corps
- 4 from the 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron Royal Marines
- 17 from the Fleet Air Arm
- Passengers:
- 1 from the Royal Air Force
- 18 from the Special Air Service (Army)
- 3 from the Royal Corps of Signals (Army)
Aircraft Lost in the Air
These aircraft were lost due to enemy action.
- 2 Sea Harrier FRS.1 (hit by anti-aircraft fire or missiles)
- 3 Westland Gazelle AH.1 (Army and Royal Marines)
- 3 Harrier GR.3 (RAF) (shot down by missiles or ground fire)
- 1 Scout AH.1 (Royal Marines) (shot down by an Argentine Pucara aircraft)
Flying Accidents in the War Zone
Some aircraft were lost due to accidents, often in bad weather or difficult conditions.
- 2 Westland Wessex HU.5 (crashed in bad weather)
- 2 Westland Sea King HC.4 (operational accidents)
- 4 Sea Harrier FRS.1 (two collided, one crashed during takeoff, one slid off a ship's deck)
- 2 Westland Sea King HAS.5 (ditched in the sea)
- 1 Harrier GR.3 (RAF) (landing accident)
- 1 Scout AH.1 (Royal Marines) (crash landed due to mechanical failure)
Lost on Board a Ship
Some aircraft were lost when the ships they were on were attacked or sank.
- 3 Westland Lynx HAS.2 (lost with HMS Ardent, HMS Coventry, and SS Atlantic Conveyor)
- 3 Chinook HC.1 (RAF) (lost with SS Atlantic Conveyor)
- 6 Westland Wessex HU.5 (lost with SS Atlantic Conveyor)
- 1 Westland Wessex HAS.3 (lost when HMS Glamorgan was hit)
Self-Destruct in Chile
- 1 Westland Sea King HC.4 was destroyed in Chile after a secret mission.
Total Aircraft Losses
In total, 10 fixed-wing aircraft (jets and planes) and 25 helicopters were lost during the Falklands War.
See also
