No. 99 Squadron RAF

No. 99 Squadron RAF
Squadron badge
Squadron badge
Active15 August 1917 – 1 April 1918 (RFC)
1 April 1918 – 1 April 1920 (RAF)
1 April 1924 – 15 November 1945
17 November 1945 – 6 January 1976
November 2000 – present
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
TypeFlying squadron
RoleStrategic and tactical air transport, aeromedical evacuation
Part ofNo. 2 Group
Home stationRAF Brize Norton
Nickname(s)'Madras Presidency'
Motto(s)Quisque tenax
(Latin for 'Each tenacious')[1][2]
AircraftBoeing C-17 Globemaster III
Battle honours * Honours marked with an asterisk may be emblazoned on the Squadron Standard
Insignia
Squadron badge heraldryA puma salient.[1][2] Selected because the squadrons first aircraft had Puma engines, the cat chosen for independence and tenacity while the black colour signifies the night-bombing role.[3]
Squadron codesVF (Apr 1939 – Sep 1939)[4][5]
LN (Sep 1939 – Feb 1942)[6][7]

Number 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.

  1. ^ a b Moyes 1976, p. 127.
  2. ^ a b Rawlings 1982, p. 97.
  3. ^ Edgerley 1993, pp. 42–44.
  4. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, p. 13.
  5. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 52.
  6. ^ Bowyer and Rawlings 1979, pp. 67–68.
  7. ^ Flintham and Thomas 2003, p. 88.