Now flying the Typhoon FGR4, No 1435 Flight’s history dates back to the Battle of Malta in 1942. The unit has been posted continuously to the Falklands since 1988.
Unique among current RAF flying units, No 1435 Flight is the only example with a four-digit number approved by the Air Ministry.
Its history dates back to December 1941 when the Malta Night Fighter Flight was renamed and served as No 1435 (Night Fighter) Flight until it was disbanded in June 1942. The following month the unit was re-formed as No 1435 (Fighter) Flight. It operated from RAF Luqa, Malta with pilots mainly obtained from No 603 Squadron.
By August 1942 the unit had grown too large to remain a flight and was re-designated a squadron. In its new guise it provided fighter defence for Malta, but in January 1943 it became a fighter-bomber unit and began attacks on Sicilian targets. In October 1943 it moved to Italy as part of the Balkan Air Force. During its time in Italy it undertook ground-attack missions in the country as well as in Albania and Yugoslavia. From September 1944 to April 1945 a detachment was based on the Yugoslavian island of Vis. The unit was withdrawn from operations in April 1945 and disbanded the following month.
