Banshee Target Drone HMS Prince of Wales

700 Naval Air Squadron (700 NAS) is a

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

(FAA) Maritime Unmanned Air System squadron of the United Kingdom’s

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

(RN). Known as 700X Naval Air Squadron, where the 'X' is used to designate 'experimental', it is currently the Royal Navy's Remotely-piloted air systems (RPAS) or 'drone' expert unit.

History

Catapult flights (1940-1944)

700 Naval Air Squadron was originally formed on 21 January 1940 at RNAS Hatston (HMS ''Sparrowhawk'') in

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

in a plan to centralise the operations of the 700 series "Catapult"

flight Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...

s attached to catapult units and to act as a pool and Headquarters for all catapult aircraft embarked on Royal Navy

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

s and

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s. It was initially equipped with forty-two

Supermarine Walrus The Supermarine Walrus is a British single-engine Amphibious aircraft, amphibious biplane designed by Supermarine's R. J. Mitchell. Primarily used as a maritime patrol aircraft, it was the first British Squadron (aviation), squadron-service ai ...

flying boats, together with eleven

Fairey Seafox The Fairey Seafox was a 1930s British reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by Fairey for the Fleet Air Arm. It was designed to be catapulted from the deck of a light cruiser and served in the Second World War. Sixty-six were built, ...

and twelve

Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish is a retired biplane torpedo bomber, designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy. It was a ...

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

s. On 21 June 1940, a Walrus (''P5666'') of 700 Squadron on the

found the German

''Scharnhorst'' but ''Manchester'' did not engage. From July, the squadron absorbed small number of Supermarine Walrus operated from

RAF Sullom Voe Royal Air Force Sullom Voe or more simply RAF Sullom Voe is a former Royal Air Force station near the village of Brae, in the Shetland Isles of Scotland. It was a Flying boat base and was closely associated with the adjacent airfield of RAF S ...

, designated as the Shetland Flight, with aircraft and crews from RNAS Hatston and disembarked Flights from the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

. These carried out local anti-submarine patrols and shipping escort under the control of No. 18 Group RAF, within

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

. On 25 September 1940, Supermarine Walrus ''L2247'', embarked on the cruiser , was shot down by

Vichy French Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against G ...

fighters during the

Battle of Dakar The Battle of Dakar, also known as Operation Menace, was an unsuccessful attempt in September 1940 by the Allies of World War II, Allies to capture the strategic port of Dakar in French West Africa (modern-day Senegal). It was hoped that the succ ...

and crashed into the sea killing all three crew. In November the squadron took over the

701 Naval Air Squadron 701 Naval Air Squadron (701 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN), which last disbanded during September 1958 at RNAS Lee-on-Solent where it was a Helicopter Trials, Communications and Fleet R ...

aircraft which were operating from

Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...

harbour and this became known as 700 Stornoway Flight. In March 1941 this Flight moved to RAF Sullom Voe and joined the Shetland Flight, but this then disbanded in May when RAF aircraft became available. Trailing ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

'' capital ships in the lead up to the

Battle of the Denmark Strait The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a naval engagement in the Second World War, which took place on 24 May 1941 between ships of the Royal Navy and the ''Kriegsmarine''. The British battleship and the battlecruiser fought the German battlesh ...

, Supermarine Walrus ''L2184'' of 700 Naval Air Squadron from was damaged by shellfire from '' Prinz Eugen'' in the

Denmark Strait The Denmark Strait is the strait that separates Greenland from Iceland. Geography The strait connects the Greenland Sea, an extension of the Arctic Ocean, to the Irminger Sea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is long. The narrowest part o ...

on 23 May 1941 while still on its catapult. HMS Rodney Aircraft

In June 1942, 700 Naval Air Squadron moved its HQ, known as ‘A’ Flight, the short distance across Orkney to RNAS Twatt (HMS ''Tern''). By this time the squadron provided a ten-week training course for new catapult Flights. The final two weeks of the course were spent attached to ‘A’ Flight at for final training, before joining their allocated ship. The training was broken down into an initial three weeks of aerodrome flying, at RNAS Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin''), in

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, consisting circuits and

landing Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or " spl ...

dive-bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

and

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

. A second three-week block was spent at RNAS Dundee (HMS ''Condor'' II), a seaplane base / repair depot, in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, where the focus was on water operations, which included night landings. Week seven was a catapult course aboard HMS ''Pegasus'', a Royal Navy aircraft carrier/

seaplane carrier A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

, in the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

. Week eight was then a return to RNAS Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin''). The final successful attack on an enemy

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

by a Walrus was on 11 July 1942, when Walrus ''W2709'' of 700 (Levant) NAS sank the Italian submarine ''Ondina'' near Cypris in conjunction with the South African navy surface vessels HMSAS ''Protea'' and HMSAS ''Southern Maid'', east of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. There were at least 5 confirmed enemy submarines sunk or damaged by Walruses during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, including the

submarine ''Poncelet'' which was bombed by Walrus ''L2268'' of 700 NAS from and attacked by on 7 November 1940 off the

Cameroons British Cameroons or British Cameroon was a British mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of the Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states of Nigeri ...

. The submarine was damaged and forced to surrender, and later scuttled off the

Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea (French language, French: ''Golfe de Guinée''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Golfo de Guinea''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Golfo da Guiné'') is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez i ...

. The crew of Petty Officer P H Parsons, Sub Lt A D Corkhill and N A Evans were all awarded gallantry medals. By the middle of 1943 the squadron strength was down to twenty aircraft as

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

made catapult launched aircraft unnecessary. What was left of A' Flight became 'B' Flight of

771 Naval Air Squadron 771 Naval Air Squadron (771 NAS) of the Fleet Air Arm was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It was formed on 24 May 1939 at , Lee-on-Solent as a Fleet Requirements Unit with 14 Fairey Swordfish ...

at RNAS Hatston and 700 Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 24 March 1944.

Maintenance Test Pilot's School (1944-1949)

700 Naval Air Squadron reformed on 11 November 1944 as the Maintenance Test Pilot Training Squadron at RNAS Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin''). It later moved to RNAS Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel''), Hampshire, and became part of the School of Aircraft Maintenance, operating with the

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the World War I, First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carryin ...

aircraft

Grumman Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval av ...

and

Fairey Barracuda The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber designed by Fairey Aviation. It was the first aircraft of this type operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy to be fabricated entirely from metal. The Barra ...

, the

Blackburn Firebrand The Blackburn Firebrand was a British single-engine strike fighter for the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy designed during World War II by Blackburn Aircraft. Originally intended to serve as a pure fighter aircraft, fighter, its unimpressive ...

strike-fighter, and the

navalised A navalised aircraft (or navalized aircraft) is an aircraft that has been specifically designed for naval use, in some cases as a variant of a land-based design. An aircraft based on an aircraft carrier is called carrier-based aircraft. Characte ...

fighter aircraft:

Fairey Firefly The Fairey Firefly is a Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft that was principally operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA). It was developed and built by the British aircraft manufacturer Fairey Aviation ...

Grumman Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...

Supermarine Seafire The Supermarine Seafire is a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. It was analogous in concept to the Hawker Hurricane variants#Sea Hurricanes, Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalised aircraft ...

, and

Grumman Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atla ...

. It provided a training course which required each pilot to complete a minimum of five weeks test flying on FAA aircraft in active service and during the initial eleven months eighty-four test pilots were trained. Remaining in Hampshire, the squadron moved to RNAS Middle Wallop (HMS ''Flycatcher''), on 23 November 1945. It moved again the following April when it 1946 the squadron relocated to RNAS Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron''),

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

and where in May 1948 it became part of the

50th Training Air Group This is a list of Fleet Air Arm groups of the Royal Navy (RN), the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), that were either formed or planned. There were two types of groups: there were Carrier Air Groups that administere ...

. 700 Maintenance Test Pilots training Squadron disbanded in September 1949.

Trials and Requirements Unit (1955-1961)

700 Naval Air Squadron reformed as a Trials and Requirements Unit on 18 August 1955 at RNAS Ford (HMS ''Peregrine''), Sussex. It was equipped with the multirole training aircraft

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), R ...

TT.4 target tug,

de Havilland Sea Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...

F.20 fighter-bomber,

Hawker Sea Hawk The Hawker Sea Hawk is a British single-seat jet day fighter formerly of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the air branch of the Royal Navy (RN), built by Hawker Aircraft and its sister company, Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although its design originat ...

day fighter,

Westland Wyvern The Westland Wyvern is a British single-seat carrier-based multi-role strike aircraft built by Westland Aircraft that served in the 1950s, seeing service in the 1956 Suez Crisis. Production Wyverns were powered by a turboprop engine driving l ...

strike aircraft and

Fairey Gannet The Fairey Gannet is a carrier-borne aircraft that was designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed for the Royal Navy, being the first fixed-wing aircraft to combine both the search an ...

anti-submarine aircraft. 703 STU and 771 FRU had disbanded at RNAS Ford the previous day and they were successfully combined to form 700 Trials and Requirements Unit. One month later, on 19 September the squadron moved to RNAS Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron''). In January 1956, when

787 Naval Air Squadron 787 Naval Air Squadron (787 NAS) was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN) which disbanded in January 1956. It formed in March 1941, at HMS ''Heron'', RNAS Yeovilton, out of 804 Naval Air Squadron a ...

disbanded, 700 NAS took over its duties, however, in February 1957 the Fleet Requirements work was given to Airwork Services Ltd at

Hurn Hurn is a village and civil parish in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district of Dorset, England. It is situated between the River Stour and River Avon north-west of Christchurch and north-east of Bournemouth town centre. In 2001, t ...

. The squadron moved to RNAS Yeovilton in September 1958 where it later disbanded in July 1961. The Squadron carried on trials of de Havilland Sea Vixens on and during 1958 and from October 1959 formed at Yeovilton with the

Saunders Roe P.531 Saunders is a surname of English and Scottish origin, derived from ''Sander'', a mediaeval form of Alexander.See also: Sander (name) People * Ab Saunders (1851–1883), American cowboy and gunman * Al Saunders (born 1947), American football coac ...

to investigate what would be needed to introduce a whole new form of helicopter operation to the Fleet – which led to the Westland Wasp. In October 1960 flight tests of landing and take-offs from with 27 launchings of the

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

Fairey Gannet and 34 with the Hawker Sea Hawk.

Intensive Flying Trials Units (IFTU)

A number of Intensive Flying Trials Units were subsequently formed under the "700 NAS" title, to prepare for new aircraft types coming into service. These operated as independent units, each being identified by a suffix letter after the squadron number (e.g. "700B"). From 1957 the initial one was based out of RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus''), Hampshire, to introduce the

Westland Whirlwind Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, Nairobi, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland ne ...

HAS.7 anti-submarine and search and rescue helicopter. Several other of these IFTUs were formed for the introduction into the Fleet Air Arm of the anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopter, the

Westland Wessex The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34. It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main changes from Sikorsky's H-34 was the rep ...

, the

Blackburn Buccaneer The Blackburn Buccaneer is a British aircraft carrier, carrier-capable attack aircraft designed in the 1950s for the Royal Navy (RN). Designed and initially produced by Blackburn Aircraft at Brough Aerodrome, Brough, it was later officially k ...

attack aircraft An attack aircraft, strike aircraft, or attack bomber is a tactical military aircraft that has a primary role of carrying out airstrikes with greater precision than bombers, and is prepared to encounter strong low-level air defenses while pr ...

, the

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...

, an

interceptor Interceptor may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Interceptor'', a British drama series on BBC One * Interceptor (game show), ''Interceptor'' (game show), a British television game show that ran during 1989 * Interc ...

and

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

, the

Westland Sea King The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome eng ...

anti-submarine, medium-lift transport and utility helicopter, the

Westland Lynx The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to t ...

multi-purpose helicopter and

British Aerospace Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/ vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered serv ...

, amongst other aircraft.

700M Merlin HM1 IFTU/OEU (1998-2008)

More recently, the squadron was re-commissioned at RNAS Culdrose (HMS ''Seahawk'') in Cornwall during December 1998 as 700M Naval Air Squadron, with a primary role as an Intensive Flying Trials Unit (IFTU) of testing and evaluating the

AgustaWestland Merlin HM.1 The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirement ...

helicopter. In September 2001 the unit became the Operational Evaluation Unit (OEU) for the Fleet Air Arm's Merlin helicopter. In 2002 the OEU deployed to both the United States Navy's

Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center The United States Navy's Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) is a laboratory that performs integrated three-dimensional hydrospace/aerospace trajectory measurements covering the entire spectrum of undersea simulated warfare ...

(AUTEC) and NATO's Fleet Operational Readiness Accuracy Check Site (FORACS) and the following year the aircrew only deployed on

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

to enlarge 814 Naval Air Squadron. In 2007 the OEU deployed to the Caribbean aboard HMS ''Ocean'' to take part in Counter Narcotics operations with the US Coastguard and was involved with a seizure of nearly half a ton of cocaine worth around £29 million. 700M Naval Air Squadron disbanded on 31 March 2008, transferring its aircraft and personnel to

824 Naval Air Squadron 824 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron based at RNAS Culdrose and currently operating the AgustaWestland Merlin HM2 Operational Conversion Unit. It trains aircrew in Anti-Submarine warfare and Airborne Surveillance and C ...

and also forming a new flight, 824 OEU.

700W Wildcat HMA2 Trials Unit (2009-2014)

Royal Navy Wildcat Helicopter MOD 45158434

The squadron reformed again as 700W Naval Air Squadron in May 2009 at RNAS Yeovilton as the Lynx Wildcat Fielding Squadron. From January 2013, 700W received five AgustaWestland Wildcat helicopters for operational evaluation and conversion training. The squadron was disbanded in July 2014 when it was merged with

702 Naval Air Squadron 702 Naval Air Squadron (702 NAS), also referred to as 702 Squadron, was a Fleet Air Arm (FAA) naval air squadron of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy (RN). It most recently operated the Westland Lynx, as the Lynx Headquarters and Training Squadr ...

to form

825 Naval Air Squadron 825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2. It was a carrier-based squadron that was formed on 8 October 1934 from th ...

, the first operational FAA AgustaWestland Wildcat unit.

Maritime Unmanned Air System (2014-present)

In October 2014 the squadron reformed as 700X Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose (HMS ''Seahawk''), Cornwall. It was initially tasked with Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) for the

Boeing Insitu ScanEagle The Boeing Insitu ScanEagle is a small, long-endurance, low-altitude unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle built by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, and is used for reconnaissance. The ScanEagle was designed by Insitu based o ...

unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle An unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle, is an unarmed military unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR). Unlike unmanned combat aerial vehicle ...

. The squadron has been setup to undertake Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) trials, and it previously acted as a parent unit for the various ship-based flights operating the ScanEagle. However, the Royal Navy ceased operating the ScanEagle by November 2017. In November 2019, 700X NAS tested two new Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), namely, the

AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma The AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma is an American unmanned aircraft system which is small, battery powered, and hand-launched. Its primary mission is surveillance and intelligence gathering using an electro-optical sensor, electro-optical and infrared ...

, a small, battery powered, hand-launched intelligence and surveillance UAV, and the

AeroVironment Wasp III The AeroVironment Wasp III Small Unmanned Aircraft System is a miniature UAV developed for United States Air Force special operations to provide a small, light-weight vehicle to provide beyond-line-of-sight situation awareness. The aircraft is ...

miniature UAV A miniature UAV, small UAV (SUAV), or drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle small enough to be man-portable. The smallest UAVs are called micro air vehicle. Miniature UAVs range from micro air vehicles (MAVs) that can be carried by an infantrym ...

. By 2020 the squadron had three flights, operating with the AeroVironment RQ-20 Puma system, for deployment. These were designated Phantom Flights A, B and C, with each flight made up of a commander, an air engineering technician and a naval airman. The initial operational test was during the

name ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex ...

of her

class Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

deployment. To operate the Puma system, the three personnel who made up the flight were the Flight Commander who integrated the Puma with the ship, the mission operator who flew the Puma and the vehicle operator who controlled the camera. As of 2021, twelve Puma systems were deployed with the squadron permitting individual teams to be embarked on Royal Navy vessels as might be required. In 2024, the Navy reported that there were a total of nine qualified Puma teams, six of which were dedicated to supporting the Royal Marines in 40 and

45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within UK Commando Force, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of the Fleet Comman ...

. By the end of 2022 a team from 700X Naval Air Squadron had constructed their own remotely-piloted air system (RPAS). The octo-

quadcopter A quadcopter, also called quadrocopter, or quadrotor is a type of helicopter or multicopter that has four rotors. Although quadrotor helicopters and convertiplanes have long been flown experimentally, the configuration remained a curiosity ...

weighed and was named Walrus after the amphibious

maritime patrol aircraft A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, maritime surveillance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over ...

used by the squadron during the Second World War. The quadcopter was planned to be used by the Royal Navy as an independent test and evaluation platform. Initial ground tests and assessments of it took place inside the controlled environment of a

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

, and when completed Walrus was passed operational and ready to be used for different sensor and payload tests. In 2023 a new flight was formed by 700X Naval Air Squadron to learn how to maintain and safely operate the QinetiQ Banshee Jet 80+. The Banshee Jet 80+ drones can achieve above and are of capable more than range. The 3m x 2.5m drone is launched from a

pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek 'wind, breath') is the use of gas or pressurized air in mechanical systems. Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A centrally located a ...

platform. It can be operated from the ground where onboard cameras and sensors are examined. The Royal Navy took delivery of the Banshee 80+ with the intention of using it to test all different types of sensors and the test flights were scheduled to take place during the summer at

Predannack Airfield Predannack Airfield is an aerodrome near Mullion on The Lizard peninsula of Cornwall in the United Kingdom. The runways are operated by the Royal Navy and today it is a satellite airfield and relief landing ground for nearby RNAS Culdrose. R ...

, Mullion, which the squadron uses as a centre of expertise for flights and training. However, on 9 April 2025, the Royal Navy declared the conclusion of the two-year trial for 700X NAS use of the drone, resulting in the Banshee's retirement from active service. In August 2024, the squadron began trials on

HMS Lancaster There have been six ships of the Royal Navy named HMS ''Lancaster'': * was an 80-gun first rate built in 1694, then rebuilt and relaunched in 1722, and rebuilt for a third time to a 66-gun third rate in 1749. * was an East Indiaman, fitted out ...

with the Peregrine rotary-wing UAV. The rotary-wing UAV was designed to operate alongside its regular helicopter detachment and provide enhanced surveillance capabilities to the frigate. Logistics unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be facilitating the transfer of supplies between vessels for the CSG25 deployment. HMS ''Prince of Wales'' will carry a small fleet of Malloy Aeronautics T150 UAVs. These will be responsible for transporting lightweight cargo, including engineering parts and personal parcels, between ships, thereby allowing helicopters to focus on more critical missions such as anti-submarine warfare and surface surveillance. A total of nine T-150 drones will be managed by 700X Naval Air Squadron. A team of twelve personnel will conduct trials of the system at sea.

Aircraft operated

AgustaWestland Merlin The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirement ...

(introduction to service) *

(tests) *

De Havilland Sea Vixen The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm from the 1950s to the early 1970s. The Sea Vixen was designed by the de Havi ...

(tests) *

Saunders-Roe P.531 The Saro P.531 (or Saunders-Roe P.531) is a British all-metal five-seat helicopter designed and built by Saunders-Roe Limited (Saro). The P.531 was a larger development of the two-seat Saro Skeeter to use turbine power and formed the basis of ...

(tests) (only 6 built) *

Westland Wasp The Westland Wasp is a small 1960s British turbine-powered, shipboard anti-submarine helicopter. Produced by Westland Helicopters, it came from the same Saunders-Roe P.531 programme as the British Army Westland Scout, and is based on the ea ...

(introduction to service) *

Boeing Insitu Scaneagle The Boeing Insitu ScanEagle is a small, long-endurance, low-altitude unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle built by Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, and is used for reconnaissance. The ScanEagle was designed by Insitu based o ...

(introduction to service)

Battle honours

The

battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military ...

awarded to 700 Naval Air Squadron are: * Mediterranean 1940 * River Plate 1939 * Norway 1940 * Spartivento 1940 * Atlantic 1940–41 * Matapan 1941 * Mediterranean 1942 * North Africa 1942-43 * Normandy 1944

Naval air stations and other airbases

700 Naval Air Squadron operated from a number of naval air stations of the Royal Navy,

Royal Air Force stations This list of Royal Air Force stations is an overview of all current stations of the Royal Air Force (RAF) throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. This includes front-line and training airbases, support, administrative and training station ...

and other airbases in the United Kingdom and overseas: 1940 - 1944 * Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (HMS ''Sparrowhawk'') (21 January 1940 - 22 June 1942) * Royal Naval Air Station Twatt (HMS ''Tern'') (22 June 1942 - 24 March 1944) ** Courses: *** Royal Naval Air Station Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin'') (1940-43) *** Royal Naval Air Station Dundee (HMS ''Condor'' II) (1940-43) *** (1941-44) ** disembarked Flights UK: *** Royal Naval Air Station Arbroath (HMS ''Condor'') (1940-43) *** Royal Naval Air Station Dundee (HMS ''Condor'' II) (1940-43) *** Royal Air Force Grimsetter (1940-43) *** Royal Naval Air Station Hatston (HMS ''Sparrowhawk'') 1940–43 *** Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') (1940-44) *** Royal Air Force Mount Batten (1940-43) *** Royal Air Force Roborough (1940-43) *** RN Air Section Speke (1940-43) *** Royal Naval Air Station Twatt (HMS ''Tern'') (1941-44) ** disembarked Flights Overseas: ***

Royal Naval Air Station Bermuda RNAS Bermuda (the personnel of which, as with all members of the America and West Indies Station shore establishment in the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda at the time, were part of the strength of the stone frigate HMS ''Malabar'') was a R ...

(1940-43) *** Royal Naval Air Station Dekheila (HMS ''Grebe'') (1940-43) *** Royal New Zealand Air Force Station

Hobsonville Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. Historically a rural settlement, Hobsonville has now developed into a suburb of Auckland. Hobsonville was one of the earliest European settlements in the area and ...

1940–43 *** Royal Air Force Kalafrana (1940) *** RN Air Section Gibraltar (1940-43) *** Royal Air Force Seletar (1940-41) *** RN Air Section Tafaraoui (1943) * disbanded - (24 March 1944) 1944 - 1949 * Royal Naval Air Station Donibristle (HMS ''Merlin'') (11 October - 7 November 1944) * Royal Naval Air Station Worthy Down (HMS ''Kestrel'') (7 November 1944 - 23 November 1945) * Royal Naval Air Station Middle Wallop (HMS ''Flycatcher'') (23 November 1945 - 1 April 1946) * Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron'') (1 April 1946 - 30 September 1949) * disbanded - (30 September 1949) 1955 - 1961 * Royal Naval Air Station Ford (HMS ''Peregrine'') (18August 1955 - 19 September 1958) ** RN Air Section North Front (Detachments 1956-58) ** Royal Naval Air Station Lossiemouth (HMS ''Fulmar'') (Detachments 1957-60) ** Royal Naval Air Station Brawdy (HMS ''Goldcrest'') (Detachments 1957-60) ** Royal Naval Air Station Portland (HMS ''Osprey'') (Detachments 1959-61) * Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron'' (19 September 1958 - 5 January 1960) * Royal Naval Air Station Merryfield (HMS ''Vulture'') (5 January 1960 - 10 October 1960) * Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton (HMS ''Heron'') (10 October 1960 - 3 July 1961) * disbanded - (3 July 1961)

700 Squadron Shetland Flight

* Royal Air Force Sullom Voe (16 July 1940 - 28 May 1941) * disbanded - (28 May 1941)

700 Squadron Stornoway Flight

* Royal Air Force Stornoway (11 November 1940 - March 1941) * to Shetland Flight at Royal Air Force Sullom Voe (March 1941)

700 (Mediterranean) Squadron

* Royal Naval Air Station Dekheila (HMS ''Grebe'') (16 October 1941) * RN Air Section Aboukir (HMS ''Nile'' II) (January 1942 - 18 April 1942) * Royal Air Force St Jean D'Acre (18 April 1942 - 11 May 1942) became: 700 (Levant) Squadron * Royal Air force Beirut (11 May 1942 - 1 October 1942) ** Latakia (Detachment June - September 1942) * became 701 Naval Air Squadron (1 October 1942)

700 (Gibraltar) Squadron

* HMS ''Argus'' (20 November 1942 - 27 November 1942) * RN Air Section North Front (27 November 1942 - 27 April 1943) * disbanded - (27 April 1943)

700 (Algiers) Squadron

* RN Air Section North Front (December 1942 - 8 January 1943) * Arzew (8 January 1943 - 5 April 1943) * disbanded - (5 April 1943)

700W Flight

* Royal Naval Air Station Sandbanks (12 - 26 July 1943) ** Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent (HMS ''Daedalus'') (Detachment 23 - 27 July 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (26 July - 14 August 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton (HMS ''Gannet'') (14 August - 15 September 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (15 - 25 September 1943) * HMS ''Fencer'' (25 September - 9 October 1943) * Royal Air Force Lagens (9 - 24 October 1943) * HMS ''Fencer'' (24 October - 19 November 1943) * Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish (HMS ''Landrail'') (19 November - 16 December 1943) * disbanded into 836 Naval Air Squadron - (16 December 1943)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

700X Naval Air Squadron at Royal Navy.mod.uk

Helicopter History of 700 Squadron
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 700 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons Military units and formations established in 1940 Air squadrons of the Royal Navy in World War II Military units and formations of the Royal Navy in World War II Military of the United Kingdom in Cornwall