RAF Patch a 9 Squadron Royal Air Force Tornado GR 1 Diamond b

RAF Patch 9 Bomber Squadron Royal Air Force Tornado GR 1 Strike Attack 1988 Cold War RAF Bruggen West Germany Embroidered on twill cut edge 142mm by 82mm five and nine sixteenth inches by three and three sixteenth inches.

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Squadron history 1962 2015 

In March 1962 9 Squadron known as IX B Squadron converted to the Vulcan bomber and became part of the RAFs V Force and in late 1966 equipped with WE 177 nuclear bombs at RAF Cottesmore before spending six years 1969 74 at RAF Akrotiri. The Squadron returned to RAF Waddington in 1975 disbanding in April 1982.   

9 Squadron reformed in August 1982 as the worlds first operational Tornado squadron at RAF Honington with the GR1 for the low level penetration role equipped with WE 177 nuclear bombs before moving to RAF Bruggen in 1986.   

The Squadron deployed to Dhahran Saudi Arabia in 1990 for Operation Granby forming part of Tornado Composite Squadrons with elements of Bruggen based 14 Squadron and undertook over 200 bombing raids during Op Desert Storm. Operations continued over southern Iraq in the 1990s and Kosovo in 1999. The Squadron upgraded to Tornado GR 4 aircraft at RAF Bruggen in 1999 and Squadron relocated to RAF Marham on 17 July 2001.  

The Squadron deployed again for Operation Telic in 2003 as part of RAFs Tornado GR 4 Wing 1 based at Ali Al Salem Air Base Kuwait. With 31 Squadron IX B Squadron has specialized with the ALARM Anti Radiation Missile Suppression of Air Defense SEAD and became classed as pathfinder squadrons. The Squadrons nuclear delivery role ended in 1994.

IX B Squadron deployed to Kandahar in Afghanistan for Operation Herrick from January to April 2010 and took part in in Operation Ellamy with strike sorties from both RAF Marham and Gioia del Colle Italy in 2011. 

This patch dates from 1988.