RAF Patch Gp 11 Group UK Air Defence Phantom Tornado Crew

RAF Patch Royal Air Force 11 Group GP UK Air Defence Phantom Tornado AD Crew 1986 Woven merrowed edge 76mm three inches diameter.

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During WWII 11 Group Fighter Command was responsible for the air defence of London and southern England and bore the brunt of the German air assault during the Battle of Britain.

11 Group continued to be a key formation within Fighter Command following the war. In December 1951 it controlled Southern Sector which had 1 and 29/22 Squadrons at RAF Tangmere and 54 and 247 Squadrons at RAF Odiham and Metropolitan Sector which had 25 Squadron at RAF West Malling, 41/253 at RAF Biggin Hill 56/87 and 63 at RAF Waterbeach 64 and 65 at Duxford 72 at North Weald 85/145 at West Malling with Meteor NF.11s and 257 and 263 Squadrons at Wattisham.

In 1960 following reorganization of Fighter Command 11 Group was disbanded on 31 December 1960 and reformed on 1 January 1961 as 11 Group on the renaming of 13 Group. 11 Group was renamed 11 Northern Sector on 1 April 1963.

11 Group moved to RAF Bently Priory London and took responsibility for the UK Air Defence Region UK ADR on 30 April 1968 controlling Lightning and Phantom Squadrons following Fighter Commands merger into Strike Command. 5 and 11 Squadrons at RAF Binbrookcontinued with Lightning aircraft until 1988 and in addition to Fighter and AEW Squadrons controlled 25 and 85 Squadrons operating Bloodhound surface-to-air missiles with 25 Sqn re-equipping with Tornados in 1989 and 85 Sqn disbanding on 10 July 1991.

11 Group was renamed 11 Air Defence Group in January 1986 and during the 1990s controlled 56 and 74 Squadrons at RAF Wattisham with Phantoms 5 and 29 Squadrons at RAF Coningsby with Tornados 11 23 and 25 Squadrons at RAF Leeming with Tornados and 43 and 111 Squadrons at RAF Leuchars with Tornados. The Group also controlled 8 Squadron at RAF Waddington providing Airborne Early Warning with Shackletons followed by E-3 Sentry AEW aircraft. The Wattisham Phantom Wing was disbanded in 1992 following the end of the Cold War with 23 Squadron Tornados disbanded in March 1994.

On 1 April 1996 11 Group was amalgamated with 18 Group to form 11/18 Group.

This patch dates from 1986