SQUADRON SHOWCASE// NO XI (FIGHTER) SQUADRON
Life on the front line with a Royal Air Force fighter squadron is conducted at a rapid pace, with an accompanying evolution in technological capability. Combat Aircraft meets No XI (Fighter) Squadron at a time of great change for UK ‘combat air’.
THERE’S A QUIET revolution going on. After years of degradation, ‘mass’ is a word that is finally gaining traction when it comes to fighter squadrons. Slowly but surely, the argument for increased capability and numbers is being heard and understood by the financiers. The new emphasis of tackling high-end, near-peer adversaries has brought into focus chronic underinvestment in what the UK calls ‘combat air’. Alongside the requisite ‘mass’ — the numbers of aircraft and, more importantly, squadrons, required to maintain a credible deterrent to an advanced threat — comes the technology battle. It’s vital that these squadrons field equipment and manpower that leads the way when it comes to overall capability.
The Royal Air Force is going through a remarkable transformation. This combines addressing the devastating cuts of 2010’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in terms of the numbers game with establishing…
