| No. 22 Squadron RAF | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 September 1915 – 1 April 1918 (RFC) 1 April 1918 – 31 December 1919 (RAF) 24 July 1923 – 1 May 1934 1 May 1934 – 30 September 1945 1 May 1946 – 15 August 1946 15 February 1955 – 5 October 2015 14 May 2020 – present |
| Role | Operational Evaluation Unit |
| Part of | Joint Aviation Command |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Benson |
| Motto(s) | Preux et audicieux (French: "Valiant and Brave")[1] |
| Equipment | |
| Battle honours |
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| Commanders | |
| Officer Commanding | Wing Commander Andrew 'Keeno' Green |
| Insignia | |
| Squadron badge | On a Torteaux, a Maltese Cross throughout, overall a 'pi' fimbriated. |
| Squadron badge heraldry | Approved by King Edward VIII in May 1936. The Maltese cross denotes where the squadron was based when the badge was authorised. During this time it was based with No. 7 Squadron, having to fly over its lines away from the airfield symbolised by pi being 22 over 7.[3] |
| Squadron codes | VR (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939) OA (Sep 1939 – Nov 1944) |
Number 22 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is an operational testing and evaluation squadron for all the Joint Aviation Command helicopter types including Chinook, Puma HC2, Merlin HC4, AH-64E Apache and Wildcat AH1. Formerly the Rotary Wing Operational Evaluation and Training Unit, the highly experienced helicopter aircrew will also ensure frontline crews have Qualified Warfare Instructors to support them on operations worldwide.[4] The squadron was reformed in May 2020 to serve as the Joint Aviation Command Operational Evaluation Unit.[5]
The squadron previously operated the Westland Sea King HAR.3 and HAR.3A at three stations in the southern United Kingdom. It was originally formed in 1915 as an aerial reconnaissance unit of the Royal Flying Corps serving on the Western Front during the First World War. Becoming part of the Royal Air Force on its formation in 1918, it was disbanded the following year as part of the post-First World War scaling back of the RAF. During the Second World War the squadron operated in the torpedo bomber role over the North Sea and then in the Mediterranean and the Far East. Between 1955 and 2015 the squadron provided military search and rescue over the United Kingdom.
- ^ Pine, L.G. (1983). A dictionary of mottoes (1 ed.). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 180. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ "Royal Air Force". Royal Air Force.
- ^ "22 Sqn". RAF Heraldry Trust. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "22 Squadron Royal Air Force". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
- ^ "22 Squadron Re-Forms At RAF Benson". Royal Air Force. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.