Fleet Air Arm Patch 801 Naval Air Squadron NAS h Sea Harrier Retire

Fleet Air Arm FAA Patch 801 Naval Air Squadron NAS Sea Harrier FA 2 Retirement End Of An Era 1981 2006 RNAS Yeovilton Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 101mm four inches diameter Rare.

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Squadron history 1962 2007

801 Naval Air Squadron NAS was reactivated at HMS Fulmar RNAS Lossiemouth on 18 March 1962 equipped with Buccaneer S1 tasked with maritime strike. The Squadron embarked ten aircraft on HMS Victorious for a Far East tour in July 1962. The squadron subsequently received the 1967 Boyd Trophy annual award for the best squadron in the Fleet Air Arm for its efforts in bringing the Buccaneer into service. The Squadron transferred operations to HMS Hermes and embarked seven aircraft for a further Far East tour in 1968. In March 1969 HMS Hermes returned to the UK to spend the next year in Home and Mediterranean waters. The squadron disbanded at Lossiemouth on the 21 July 1970. 

801 NAS was reactivated in January 1981 at RNAS Yeovilton equipped with Sea Harrier FRS 1 and deployed aboard HMS Invincible for the Falklands War with an additional three aircraft and crews transferred from the Harrier training squadron 899 NAS. The Squadron shot down eight Argentine aircraft while it lost four aircraft and two pilots during the conflict. The Squadron joined 820 NAS and 849 NAS on HMS Ark Royal for deployment to USA New York in 1986. 801 Squadron joined 820 NAS and 849 NAS on HMS Illustrious for deployment to the Adriatic in March 1995 to support UN air combat operation over the former Yugoslavia. In the mid 1990s the squadron reequipped with the more capable Sea Harrier FA2 and embarked on HMS Illustrious in 1997 for the Gulf for Operation Southern Watch carrying out its first mission armed with AMRAAM. 

On 31 March 2006 the squadron was disbanded at RNAS Yeovilton as the final Sea Harrier FA2 was withdrawn from service. 801 NAS and 800 NAS were due to re commission at RAF Cottesmore in March 2007 to operate the Harrier GR7 and GR9 Harriers. However due to lack of manpower all personnel allocated for 801 and 800 NAS instead formed Naval Strike Wing NSW at RAF Cottesmore on 7 March 2007. On 1 April 2010 Naval Strike Wing reverted to the identity of 800 Naval Air Squadron and disbanded on 15 December 2010.

This patch dates from 1995.