RAF Patch j 43 Squadron Royal Air Force Phantom FG1 AD b

RAF Patch 43 Squadron Royal Air Force Phantom FG1 Maritime Air Defence RAF Leuchars 1980s Woven merrowed edge 97mm by 60mm three and seven eighth inches by two and three eighth inches.

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Badge  A black gamecock approved by King Edward VIII in July 1936. The badge was developed from an unofficial design produced in 1926 when the Squadron was equipped with the Gloster Gamecock and the nickname The Fighting Cocks and the black and white checker markings were adopted.

Motto Gloria finis Latin Glory is the end.

Squadron history 1945 2009

43 Squadron ended the war in Austria equipped with Spitfire fighter aircraft for interdiction ground attack and fighter bomber missions and was disbanded in 1947. The Squadron was reactivated in February 1949 at RAF Tangmere on the renumbering of 266 Squadron equipped with Meteor aircraft.

43 Squadron relocated to RAF Leuchars in 1950 and reequipped with Hunter F 6 fighter aircraft in 1954. The Squadron provided the official RAF Aerobatic Team in 1955 giving displays in Britain and Europe winning the only ever international formation aerobatics competition at Rome and in April 1956 displayed for the Khrushchev Soviet delegations visit to the UK. The Squadron featured in the 1957 film High Flight.

43 Squadron upgraded to Hunter FGA 9 fighter bombers in 1960 and relocated to RAF Nicosia Cyprus on 20 June 1961. The Squadron moved to RAF Khormaksar Aden on 1 March 1963 carrying out combat missions during the dispute with Yemen. The Squadron disbanded at RAF Khormaksar in November 1967 at cessation of hostilities.  

43 Squadron reformed at RAF Leuchars on 1 September 1969 equipped with Phantom FG1 fighter interceptor aircraft operating in the maritime air defence role as part of QRA North carrying out a great number of intercepts of Soviet aircraft and surface vessels.

The Squadron reequipped with Tornado F 3 Air Defence fighters in July 1989 becoming operational in July 1990. Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait the Squadron deployed with 29 Squadron to Dhahran AB Saudi Arabia leading the RAF Tornado F3 Composite providing 24 hour Air Defence combat air patrols for northern Saudi Arabia in conjunction with Royal Saudi Air Force F 3s and RSAF and USAF F 15 Eagles. The Squadron returned to RAF Leuchars in March 1991 and form 1992 provided detachments to 1435 Flight at RAF Mount Pleasant providing air defence of the Falkland Islands. 43 Squadron deployed in support of Op Deny Flight over Bosnia Herzegovina between 1993 and 1995. In 1998 Squadron crews began rotational deployments to Saudi Arabia carrying out Offensive Counter Air missions over Iraq in support of Operations Bolton and Resonate.

The Squadron deployed to Prince Sultan AB Saudi Arabia in February 2003 as part of the RAF Leuchars Wing for Op Telic providing Offensive Counter Air missions to dominate the Iraqi airspace during the invasion of Iraq returning to RAF Leuchars at the end of April 2003 to carry on QRA missions.

As part of the Tornado F 3 force drawdown 56 Reserve Squadron the Operational Conversion Unit OCU was absorbed into 43 Fighter Squadron on 25 April 2008. 43 Squadron disbanded on 13 July 2009.

This patch dates from the 1980s.