792 Naval Air Squadron

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

792 Naval Air Squadron

792 NAS badge (top from 1949, bottom to 1945)
Active15 August 1940 – 2 January 1945[1]
15 January 1948 - 16 August 1950[1]
1 November 2001 – 4 June 2009[2]
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
TypeFleet Air Arm Second Line Squadron
Role
  • Air Target Towing Unit
  • Night Fighter Training School
  • Fleet Target Unit
Size
Latin for 'Wisdom conquers darkness')[3]
Insignia
Squadron BadgeWhite, a lion rampant armed and langued red holding in his fore paws a target in military colours (Wartime unofficial, transferred to 794 NAS on disbandment January 1945)
Gold, a panther's head caboshed black (1949)[3]
Identification MarkingsS8A+ (all types by 1944)
220-227 (Firefly)
491-494 (Sea Hornet)
640-642 (Anson/Oxford 1948-50)[3]
Tail CodeCW (Firefly, Sea Hornet, Anson & Oxford)[3]
A Mirach 100/5 Aerial Target, an example of the type used by 792 NAS

792 Naval Air Squadron (792 NAS) was a

Sea Hornets
shortly before the squadron disbanded again in August 1950.

The squadron was reformed at RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) in November 2001 from the Fleet Target Group, from

fighters
. It is not listed on the current Royal Navy website and is believed to have been replaced by QinetiQ's Combined Aerial Target Service contract.

History of 792 NAS

Air Target Towing Unit (1940 - 1945)

792 Naval Air Squadron formed as an Air Target Towing Unit, at RNAS St Merryn (HMS Vulture), in

carrier-based turret fighter aircraft adapted as a target tug and the Blackburn Skua was a carrier-based dive bomber / fighter, similarly adapted for target towing work. These aircraft were eventually withdrawn and replaced with a dedicated target tug variant of the Boulton Paul Defiant, and Miles Martinet, an aircraft designed specifically for target towing.[2] 792 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 2 January 1945 on being absorbed into 794 Naval Air Squadron.[4]

Night Fighter Training School (1948 - 1950)

de Havilland DH.103 Sea Hornet NF.21, an example of the type used by 792 NAS

792 Naval Air Squadron reformed at RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk) on 15 January 1948, as the Night Fighter Training School. It was initially equipped with

de Havilland Sea Hornet NF.21 the “night fighter” variant of the twin-engined fighter aircraft. 792 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 16 August 1950, with 809 Naval Air Squadron acquiring its aircraft and role.[3]

Fleet Target Unit (2001 - 2009)

792 Naval Air Squadron reformed at HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose, on 1 November 2001 from the Fleet Target Group, (it originally formed in 1959 as the RN Pilotless Target Aircraft Squadron, and became the Fleet Target Group in January 1974),[3] which relocated from RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey), upon the airbases closure in 1998.[5]

The squadron, known as the Fleet Target Unit

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The unit was tasked to provide target opportunities for ships' missile systems and for fighter aircraft during weapon systems testing and training.[7] The Sea Dart surface-to-air missile system fitted to Type 42, or Sheffield class of Guided-missile destroyer was tested. As was the AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile, used by the Royal Navy's British Aerospace Sea Harrier strike fighter and the Royal Air Forces Panavia Tornado multi role aircraft was also tested.[5]

792 Naval Air Squadron operated its target drone aircraft on temporary detachments from shore bases, Royal Navy warships and

QinetiQ.[8]

Aircraft flown

The squadron has flown a number of different aircraft types, including:[4][9]

Naval Air Stations

792 Naval Air Squadron operated from a couple of naval air stations of the Royal Navy, in England:[4][3]

1940 - 1945

1948 - 1950

2001 - 2009

  • Royal Naval Air Station CULDROSE (HMS Seahawk) (1 November 2001 - 4 June 2009)
  • disbanded - 4 June 2009

Commanding Officers

List of

commanding officers of 792 Naval Air Squadron with month and year of appointment: [4]
[2]

1940 - 1945

  • Lieutenant H.E.R. Torin, DSC, RN, from 15 August 1940
  • Lieutenant(A) H.R. Dimock, RNVR, from 9 December 1940
  • Lieutenant E.W. Lawson, RN, from 5 May 1941
  • Lieutenant Commander(A) T.J. Archer, RNVR, from 30 September 1941
  • Lieutenant Commander(A) G.V. Oddy, RNVR, from 8 December 1941
  • Lieutenant M.W. Wotherspoon, RNVR, from 9 November 1943
  • Lieutenant Commander(A) N.G. Maclean, RNVR, from 12 June 1944
  • disbanded - 2 January 1945

1948 - 1950

  • Lieutenant(A) B.C. Lyons, RN, from 15 January 1948
  • Lieutenant J.A. McColgan, RN, from 28 November 1949
  • disbanded - 16 August 1950

2001 - 2009

  • Lieutenant Commander A Rogers, RN, from 1 November 2001
  • disbanded - 4 June 2009

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Sturtivant & Ballance 1994, p. 116.
  2. ^ a b c Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 93-94.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 93.
  4. ^ a b c d e Wragg 2019, p. 137.
  5. ^ a b "792 Naval Air Squadron". The National Archives (United Kingdom). Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  6. ^ "X-men take to the Cornish skies". fleetairarmoa.org. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Royal Navy profiles 792 Naval Air Squadron, target drone operators". Sheppardmedia.com. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  8. ^ "First RNR Officer in 57 years to command a new Naval Air Squadron". fleetairarmoa.org. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  9. ^ Ballance, Howard & Sturtivant 2016, p. 94.

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=792_Naval_Air_Squadron&oldid=1220751079"