No. 99 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Air Force which operates the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic/tactical transport aircraft from RAF Brize Norton.

The squadron conducts global deployments on behalf of the British Armed Forces and the UK Government, notably delivering emergency aid during natural disasters and supporting military operations overseas.

No. 99 was a bomber squadron in both World War I and World War II. The squadron was the first RAF unit to receive the Avro Aldershot, Handley Page Hyderabad, Handley Page Hinaidi, Vickers Wellington, Bristol Britannia and Boeing Globemaster III. In the case of the Avro Aldershot, the squadron was its only operator, as it is now for the Globemaster III.

History World War I What would later become No. 99 (Madras Presidency) Squadron was originally formed at Yatesbury, Wiltshire, England on 15 August 1917 from elements supplied by No. 13 Training Squadron, RFC. It was equipped with de Havilland DH.9 bombers in 1918, deploying to France to form part of the Independent Air Force, the RAF's strategic bombing force. It flew its first mission on 21 May and continued to take part in large scale daylight raids against targets in Germany, sustaining heavy losses due both to the unreliable nature of the DH.9 and heavy German opposition. As an example, during one raid against railway targets in Saarbrücken on 31 July 1918, seven out of nine aircraft from 99 Squadron were shot down, with a further three DH.9s turning back with engine trouble before the formation crossed the enemy linesRawlings 1961, p. 339.Rennles 2002, pp. 71–73. 99 Squadron was withdrawn from the front line on 25 September to be re-equipped with de Havilland DH.9A bombers, and it was still in the process of converting when the war ended. During the war it had taken part in 76 bombing raids, dropping 61 tons of bombs and claiming 12 German aircraft, of which eight were during the raid of 31 July.

In 1919 the squadron was sent to India, flying patrols over the North-West Frontier from Mianwali and Kohat during the Mahsud and Waziristan campaigns. It was disbanded by being renumbered to No. 27 Squadron on 1 April 1920.Edgerley 1993, p. 35.

Inter-war period No. 99 Squadron reformed on 1 April 1924 at Netheravon, Wiltshire, flying Vickers Vimys. In May 1924, it moved to RAF Bircham Newton in Norfolk, uniquely receiving the Avro Aldershot single-engined heavy bomber. These were replaced at the end of 1925 by twin-engined Handley Page Hyderabads, the squadron moving to RAF Upper Heyford in December 1927. In 1929, it again switched to new aircraft when it began receiving Handley Page Hinaidis, a radial engined derivative of the Hyderabad.99 Squadron 99 Squadron Royal Air Force. Retrieved 26 December 2009. By 1933, the Hinaidi, which was little improvement over bombers in use during the First World War, was recognised as obsolete, and in November the unit received the first production Handley Page Heyford heavy bombers. While these carried twice the bombload of the earlier aircraft, and had significantly better performance, they soon became outclassed. However, 99 Squadron, which had moved to RAF Mildenhall in November 1934, was obliged to retain the Heyford until October 1938, when it converted to Vickers Wellington monoplanes.Rawlings 1961, p. 340.Ward and Smith 2008, p. 211. In September 1935, "B" flight of 99 Squadron was split off to form 38 Squadron,Ward and Smith 2008, p. 3. while on 12 April 1937 the squadron again detached "B" flight, this time to form 149 Squadron.Bowyer 1990, p. 161.

World War II

The squadron was the first unit to be equipped with Vickers Wellingtons, just before the start of World War II. It flew its first operational mission of the war on the night of 8/9 September 1939, when three Wellingtons set off from Mildenhall to drop leaflets over Germany. The squadron temporarily dispersed to RAF Elmdon (now Birmingham Airport) the next day before moving to a more permanent new home at RAF Newmarket, Suffolk on 15 September.Ward and Smith 2008, p. 5. On 14 December 1939, 12 Wellingtons of the squadron set off for an armed reconnaissance of the Schillig Roads, hoping to attack a force of German warships spotted by a British submarine the previous night. While the formation encountered the German warships, the cloud base was too low to bomb the ships, and five of the bombers were lost over the North Sea, one shot down by anti-aircraft fire, three by German fighters and one lost in a collision. A further Wellington crashed on return to base.Ward and Smith 2008, p. 7.Richards 1953, pp. 44☼45. The squadron was a part of No. 3 Group RAF, Bomber Command and bombed targets in Norway and Germany, mainly at night. It moved to the newly established base at RAF Waterbeach in March 1941.Bowyer 1990, p. 200.

In February 1942 the squadron moved to India with the Wellingtons, and resumed operations in November 1942 against Japanese bases in Burma. From September 1944 the squadron re-equipped with Consolidated Liberators which allowed it to reach targets in Thailand and Malaya. During this period, the squadron included a significant number of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force aircrew personnel, attached to it under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The squadron moved to the Cocos Islands in August 1945 to prepare for the planned invasion of Malaya. After the Japanese surrender the squadron disbanded there on 15 November 1945.Bowman, p. 161

Post-War

The Squadron was reformed again on 17 November 1945 at RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire, as a transport squadron, equipped with the Avro York. In that rôle it contributed to the Berlin Airlift.

The unit continued in the transport role from 1949 to 1959 with the Handley Page Hastings, which was normally used as a transport aircraft but, as the squadron also had a tactical support role, was also used in 1956 to drop paratroops on Gamil Airfield during the Suez Crisis.

From 1959 the squadron flew the Bristol Britannia, initially from Lyneham, then from RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, from June 1970. The unit put the new long range turboprop aircraft to use to evacuate citizens from troublespots all over the world such as Congo 1960, Kuwait 1961, Belize 1961 and Aden 1967. The Squadron was disbanded on 6 January 1976, following the 1974 Defence White Paper.

C-17 Globemaster III (2000–present)

The squadron was reformed again in November 2000, to operate the RAF's Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs.99 Squadron, WWW.raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2010 The first of the squadron's four initial C-17s was delivered to the RAF on 17 May 2001, arriving at Brize Norton on 23 May. One of the first high-profile missions of the squadron was the deployment of Westland Lynx helicopters and support equipment to Macedonia as part of a NATO peacekeeping force. This deployment was codenamed Operation Bessemer.

Previously the RAF had to lease commercial heavy lifters such as the Antonov An-124 to return the aircraft to the UK, or launch a major logistical effort to allow a ferry flight. In any case the C-17 has proved invaluable to the RAF and in December 2009, the Ministry of Defence announced its intention to acquire a seventh aircraft. This was received by the RAF at Boeing's Long Beach, California facility on 16 November 2010."RAF Brize Norton: Gateway Magazine: RAF Receives Seventh C-17". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 25 February 2011. The UK announced the purchase of its eighth C-17 in February 2012.Hoyle, Craig. "UK to buy eighth C-17 transport". Flight International, 8 February 2012.

On 13 January 2013, it was announced that two No. 99 Squadron C-17s were to be used to transport French military equipment and troops to Mali."Mali: RAF C17 cargo plane to help French operation". BBC News. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2013. On 15 November 2013, a C-17 of No. 99 Squadron flew to the Philippines to assist with aid efforts there after Typhoon Haiyan."RAF aid plane on way to Philippines in relief effort". BBC News. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.

In August 2021, the C-17 was called upon to assist with Operation Pitting, the evacuation of Kabul. Four aircraft were deployed and the aircraft's normal capacity of 138 people was increased and exceeded almost every day. On 24 August there were 354 persons on board, and by the close of the evacuation, 436 stood as the new record and the greatest number of people ever flown on a single RAF aircraft.

On 13 September 2022, C-17A ZZ177 of No. 99 Squadron carried the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II from Edinburgh Airport to RAF Northolt in preparation for Her Majesty's state funeral.

Aircraft operated

+Aircraft operated by No. 99 Squadron RAF, data fromMoyes 1976, pp. 129–130.Jefford 2001, p. 56. From To Aircraft Variant Notes March 1918 November 1918 de Havilland DH.9 Single-engined biplane bomber August 1918 March 1920 de Havilland DH.9A Single-engined biplane bomber April 1924 December 1924 Vickers Vimy Twin-engined biplane bomber August 1924 December 1925 Avro Aldershot Mk.III Single-engined heavy bomber December 1925 January 1931 Handley Page Hyderabad Twin-engined biplane heavy bomber October 1929 December 1933 Handley Page Hinaidi Twin-engined biplane heavy bomber November 1933 September 1937 Handley Page Heyford Mk.I Twin-engined biplane heavy bomber November 1934 August 1938 Handley Page Heyford Mk.II Twin-engined biplane heavy bomber December 1935 November 1938 Handley Page Heyford Mk.III Twin-engined biplane heavy bomber October 1938 December 1939 Vickers Wellington Mk.I Twin-engined medium bomber September 1939 April 1940 Vickers Wellington Mk.Ia Twin-engined medium bomber March 1940 February 1942 Vickers Wellington Mk.Ic Twin-engined medium bomber July 1941 October 1941 Vickers Wellington Mk.II Twin-engined medium bomber October 1942 May 1943 Vickers Wellington Mk.Ic Twin-engined medium bomber April 1943 August 1944 Vickers Wellington Mk.III Twin-engined medium bomber April 1943 August 1944 Vickers Wellington Mk.X Twin-engined medium bomber September 1944 November 1945 Consolidated Liberator Mk.VI Four-engined heavy bomber November 1947 September 1949 Avro York C.1 Four-engined transport August 1949 June 1959 Handley Page Hastings C.1 Four-engined transport May 1952 June 1959 Handley Page Hastings C.2 Four-engined transport June 1959 January 1976 Bristol Britannia C.1 and C.2 Four-engined transport 2002 Present Day Boeing Globemaster C-17A Four-engined strategic transport

Bases