No. 5 Squadron RAF

No. V (AC) Squadron RAF
Squadron badge
Active26 July 1913 – 1 April 1918 (RFC)
1 April 1918 – 20 January 1920 (RAF)
1 April 1920 – 1 August 1947
11 February 1949 – 25 September 1951
1 March 1952 – 12 October 1957
20 January 1959 – 7 October 1965
8 October 1965 – 30 September 2002
1 April 2004 – 31 March 2021
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeFlying squadron
Motto(s)Frangas non flectas
(Latin for 'Thou mayst break, but shall not bend me')[1]
Battle honours * Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard[2]
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryA maple leaf, commemorating the squadron's close links with the Canadian Corps during the First World War. Approved by King George VI in June 1937.[2]
Squadron roundel
Squadron codesQN (Apr 1939 – allocated but possibly not used)
OQ (Sep 1939 – Feb 1941, Mar 1946 – Aug 1947)
B (Mar 1952 – 1955)
A (Aug 1986 – Dec 1987)
CA–CZ (Tornado F.3)

Number 5 (Army Co-operation) Squadron (although His Majesty the King awarded No. V (Army Cooperation) Squadron) was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It most recently operated the Raytheon Sentinel R1 Airborne STand-Off Radar (ASTOR) aircraft from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, between April 2004 until March 2021.[2][3]

First formed in July 1913, the squadron served throughout the First World War, holding the distinction of gaining the first loss and kill for the Royal Flying Corps. No. V Squadron relocated to India in 1920 where it remained during the Second World War. During the Cold War, No. 5 (Fighter) Squadron flew the English Electric Lightning and Panavia Tornado F3.

  1. ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 87. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  2. ^ a b c "V (AC) Squadron". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  3. ^ "RAF Retires Sentinel Aircraft And Disbands V(AC) Squadron". Forces Network. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.